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 the whole messaging stack into what’s referred to 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, sort of just like Bitcoin. It’s excellent encryption; we’re testing it completely.”
Musk stated he hopes the brand new messaging app shall 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 stated.
“However then, that’s an enormous safety vulnerability as a result of if it is aware of sufficient info to indicate you adverts, that’s a whole lot of info,” he stated, 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 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,” resembling who you chatted with and the way typically you discuss with them, isn’t encrypted. WhatsApp additionally doesn’t mechanically encrypt backup copies of your chat historical past.
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WhatsApp’s FAQ part on “Does WhatsApp gather or promote your knowledge?” skirts answering the latter a part of the query, solely explaining that “we work with different Meta Corporations to assist present, enhance and help one another’s companies.”
“When you select to combine your WhatsApp expertise with different Meta merchandise, we are going to share some info with Meta to make this potential.”
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 excellent, however our purpose with X chat is to interchange what was the Twitter DM stack with a completely encrypted system the place you may textual content, ship recordsdata, do audio video calls, and I believe it is going to be the least insecure of any messaging system.”
He added that the messaging app shall be obtainable as a part of the X platform and as its personal standalone app.
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