How do Private and Public chat groups differ?

Private chat groups are end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) so that no one – not even Fedi – except the members of the group can read messages sent within it. Because messages are encrypted, private groups support the sharing of media like images, videos, and other file types. Fedians are invited to join private groups directly via either their unique Fedi chat link / code or their username (display name).

Public chat groups, on the other hand, are not encrypted and therefore do not support the sharing of media or other file types. Fedians are invited to join public groups via a group's invite code. Because public groups are not encrypted, all group members and messages are viewable by anyone on the Fedi app who possesses the group's invite code. There should be no expectation of privacy in public groups.