Tech entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk is about to launch a standalone messaging app referred to as “X Chat” to compete with Telegram and WhatsApp, with a rollout anticipated throughout the subsequent few months.
“On X, we simply rebuilt your complete messaging stack into what’s referred to as ‘X Chat,’” mentioned Musk throughout The Joe Rogan Expertise podcast, which aired on Friday.
“It’s utilizing a peer-to-peer-based encryption system, sort of just like Bitcoin. It’s superb encryption; we’re testing it completely.”
Musk mentioned he hopes the brand new messaging app can be launched in a “few months,” including it gained’t have any “hooks for promoting” as he pointed to opponents like WhatsApp, which “is aware of sufficient about what you’re texting to know what adverts to indicate you,” he mentioned.
“However then, that’s a large safety vulnerability as a result of if it is aware of sufficient data to indicate you adverts, that’s plenty of data,” he mentioned, including that hackers might use those self same “hooks” to learn personal messages.
Does WhatsApp learn your messages?
WhatsApp’s guardian firm, Meta, claims it doesn’t have entry to non-public messages, explaining in its FAQ that messages between persons are end-to-end encrypted utilizing the Sign Protocol. This additionally covers voice messages, media and paperwork.
Nonetheless, it’s understood that “metadata,” reminiscent of who you chatted with and the way usually you discuss with them, isn’t encrypted. WhatsApp additionally doesn’t mechanically encrypt backup copies of your chat historical past.
Associated: Why Zcash and privateness tokens are again within the dialog
WhatsApp’s FAQ part on “Does WhatsApp gather or promote your information?” skirts answering the latter a part of the query, solely explaining that “we work with different Meta Firms to assist present, enhance and help one another’s providers.”
“Should you select to combine your WhatsApp expertise with different Meta merchandise, we are going to share some data with Meta to make this attainable.”
X Chat gained’t have these hooks, says Musk
Musk promised that X Chat gained’t have these promoting “hooks.”
“I’m not saying it’s good, however our purpose with X chat is to exchange what was once the Twitter DM stack with a totally encrypted system the place you possibly can textual content, ship information, do audio video calls, and I feel will probably be the least insecure of any messaging system.”
He added that the messaging app can be obtainable as a part of the X platform and as its personal standalone app.
Journal: Grokipedia: ‘Far proper speaking factors’ or much-needed antidote to Wikipedia?
