Open-source SimpleX Chat succeeds where Telegram failed

Messaging privacy continues to become less certain, with apps like Telegram having made changes to their terms of service after landing in hot water with government agencies. Privacy-oriented users can no longer trust that encryption alone will provide security when the company running the chat service can easily disclose their identity. Thankfully, services like SimpleX Chat are helping users regain their privacy by taking a unique approach. 

In his latest video, Mental Outlaw discusses the features that set SimpleX Chat apart from other encrypted messengers. To begin, SimpleX does not require users to enter a phone number to register for the app. Phone numbers are usually one of the first pieces of information to be disclosed when a user is brought into question. Messaging in SimpleX Chat uses a series of chat rooms for which users can create one-time invitations through QR codes and links to share with the desired contact or contacts. By default, users will join SimpleX chats in an incognito mode where SimpleX auto-generates a username to help keep the identity of the user private. However, users can use predefined profiles when connecting to chats and can create long-term invitation links in the SimpleX Chat settings.

A significant security boost comes from the SimpleX network on which the chat application is built. The network uses unidirectional onion routing, a deep web protocol, to send messages between users. Users can also select which server they receive messages on and, thanks to the project's open-source nature, can even set up their own if they do not trust the premade servers. SimpleX Chat takes it a step further and uses end-to-end encryption and encrypts the messages stored on the user's device. Users are, therefore, not able to track each other's IP, and even SimpleX Chat doesn't know where messages are being sent from.

Due to the platform's complexity, SimpleX Chat does not currently have an extensive user base. However, given its group chat capabilities, SimpleX stands to succeed in the same area that made Telegram so popular. With no limit on the number of users in a SimpleX Chat group, it is only a matter of time before the SimpleX Chat directory is populated by groups as unique as the platform.