Tech entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk is about to launch a standalone messaging app known as “X Chat” to compete with Telegram and WhatsApp, with a rollout anticipated inside the subsequent few months.
“On X, we simply rebuilt all the messaging stack into what’s known as ‘X Chat,’” stated Musk throughout The Joe Rogan Expertise podcast, which aired on Friday.
“It’s utilizing a peer-to-peer-based encryption system, type of just like Bitcoin. It’s excellent encryption; we’re testing it completely.”
Musk stated he hopes the brand new messaging app will probably be launched in a “few months,” including it received’t have any “hooks for promoting” as he pointed to rivals like WhatsApp, which “is aware of sufficient about what you’re texting to know what adverts to indicate you,” he stated.
“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 loads of data,” he stated, including that hackers may use those self same “hooks” to learn non-public messages.
Does WhatsApp learn your messages?
WhatsApp’s mother or father firm, Meta, claims it doesn’t have entry to personal 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,” equivalent to who you chatted with and the way typically you speak with them, shouldn’t be encrypted. WhatsApp additionally doesn’t routinely encrypt backup copies of your chat historical past.
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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 Corporations to assist present, enhance and assist one another’s providers.”
“For those who 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 received’t have these hooks, says Musk
Musk promised that X Chat received’t have these promoting “hooks.”
“I’m not saying it’s good, however our aim with X chat is to switch what was once the Twitter DM stack with a totally encrypted system the place you may textual content, ship recordsdata, do audio video calls, and I feel will probably be the least insecure of any messaging system.”
He added that the messaging app will probably be obtainable as a part of the X platform and as its personal standalone app.
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