Decentralization is an opportunity to build a mechanism of trust and the absence of a single, unified center of control, refusal, prohibition. Decentralized P2P networks and Blockchain technology have many different uses, including helping build messaging applications and keep them running. This article does not aim to recommend the messenger or buy internal currency for it, this article is a story about technology, projects and products of varying degrees of readiness or abandonment.
Many are concerned about the feasibility of developing p2p messengers and the convenience of their use, since convenience often has to be sacrificed for the sake of security and decentralization. These programs may be designed to send messages, and may be able to make money transactions. Such messengers have different names (Crypto messenger, Decentralized messenger, Blockchain messenger, p2p messenger), but they have one thing in common - a decentralized network. p2p messengers can be used on computers and mobile devices (smartphones and tablets).
An example is the Tox project. Developed clients for: Linux, Windows, Android, iOS. Tox is a free, peer-to-peer, distributed, multimedia messenger or protocol for decentralized text, voice and video communication on the Internet based on asymmetric encryption.
What is blockchain? Simply put, a blockchain is a decentralized ledger of transactions recorded using cryptography. Blockchain is designed to solve a number of unresolved issues of p2p messengers. Blockchain messengers are encrypted, so the user can be sure that their information and personal data will be protected as well as private. Blockchain messengers are decentralized so the owner cannot do what they want with the app, trying to hack and spoof content can be much more difficult than in a regular messenger, and the sequence of blocks provides additional protection. At the same time, the user does not need to worry that his correspondence, photos, videos or other data will be intercepted, read and used by someone.
Many instant messengers work on Android and iOS platforms, you can find and download applications on Google Play or the App Store. Several examples will be given below.
PirlChat is positioned as a messenger with complete inaccessibility to hackers or large corporations that can use users' personal data for their own purposes, since PirlChat does not depend on centralized servers and interacts directly with the blockchain. In addition, PirlChat takes advantage of the two main advantages of the blockchain, namely decentralization and strong encryption.
This crypto messenger comes with a crypto wallet. The internal currency is ECHT, a token on the Ethereum network. The user has the ability to make voice calls, send text and audio messages. Judging by the comments, perhaps, according to the idea of the developers, this messenger was supposed to become the basis for a new and unique social network.
An open source project using the Ethereum platform. STATUS is a private and secure means of online communication. Status combines a decentralized messenger, a wallet supporting ERC20 and ERC721 tokens on the Ethereum network, and a DApp browser for an ecosystem of decentralized applications. Messages in the app are fully encrypted.
Dust messenger was released in 2014 and at the time of writing the article, the number of installations is indicated in the Play Market as 500,000+. Has a number of interesting features. The application has the function of deleting messages immediately after they are opened and read by the recipient. The AUTO-DUST function automatically deletes messages within a day. In addition, the app has a feature that detects and notifies the user that a screenshot has been taken by another party.
Sense.Chat is a private messenger with a built-in EOS wallet. Initially, the project started on Ethereum, later the company transferred it to the EOS blockchain. It is possible to connect to audio and video chats. The SENSE token is used. Messages are encrypted and decrypted on the devices of senders and recipients.
Sylo
The Sylo app has 100,000+ installs from the Play Market. Sylo supports multiple blockchains. The program is a social network with a built-in wallet, which has the ability to add ERC20 tokens, and a messenger with private messages, audio and video calls. The program has no user accounts, no email addresses, no phone numbers, there is a QR scan feature to add contacts.
More and more companies are starting to care about data protection, and ordinary people about their privacy, and one of the best decisions that users can make to keep their data safe is to use blockchain messenger on gadgets. All information such as messages, photos or videos will be saved. P2P messenger is more secure and private than ever these days. A person only needs to find the one that suits him. There are many options available. Installing and configuring any messenger app is not that difficult, so anyone can use it.
PirlChat is a decentralized and encrypted messaging system. The developers of the Pirl team strive to create a convenient and functional ecosystem based on the Pirl blockchain. Part of the ecosystem being created is its own messenger - PirlChat. Earlier, we presented , and also reported on and the appearance in it of the most important for a modern messenger , without which it is difficult to imagine correspondence today, namely: the ability to exchange photos and the ability to exchange audio messages.
— Pirl.io (@PirlOfficial)
