Competition for WhatsApp and Signal: The xx messenger wants to be particularly secure


The double X in xx Messenger looks like a placeholder. Didn’t developer David Chaum come up with a name for his news service? Doubtful, because the computer scientist, advocate for data protection and self-proclaimed “Godfather of Cryptocurrency” (“Godfather of Cryptocurrency”) is extremely imaginative. He was instrumental in the development of digital means of payment (eCash) and many of his ideas were used in the development of cryptocurrencies. He is also the founder and CEO of the xx Labs platform. And what do we learn from this? The xx is a trademark of Chaum. So what can the xx Messenger do?

xx Messenger: Particularly safe data?

The private messaging app xx Messenger is based on the xx Network by xx Labs. Platform motto: “We are building a world where your life is yours.” Sound cryptic? Basically, it’s all about protecting your data extra well. Messengers like WhatsApp offer end-to-end encryption, but use certain information to ensure compliance with the rules. Metadata reveals, for example, the frequency of account activity. The xx Messenger, on the other hand, announces that messages are end-to-end encrypted and no metadata is collected.

Signal Messenger (Android App)

Signal Messenger (App for iPhone & iPad)

How secure is xx Messenger?

xx Messenger is committed to destroying metadata as the first way to protect the right to privacy. It is important to the operators that when using xx Messenger, nobody knows who you are communicating with. According to its own statements, the app does not record any messaging patterns, but rather shreds the metadata using blockchain technology. cMix, a unique algorithm, is used for this. The xx messenger should also be quantum-resistant and make it impossible for quantum computers to decrypt and analyze messages. Everything you say should remain private. Last but not least, according to their own statements, there will be complete decentralization. The xx Network is “a transparent, open source blockchain”. And “while the open-source code allows for scrutiny by the brightest minds in cryptography, decentralization prevents any government, no matter how powerful, from interfering with the network.”

WhatsApp Messenger (Android App)

WhatsApp Messenger (App for iPhone & iPad)

Why is quantum secure messaging needed?

xx Network describes itself as “the first and only quantum-resistant blockchain ecosystem that protects your data”. Modern messaging solutions are based on cryptography (a kind of “secret writing”). Although it allows data to be exchanged in encrypted form, according to xx Messenger it can be “vulnerable to state actors and the emerging threat posed by quantum computers. Data that is still encrypted today can be cracked with this technology in the future.” In the past, for example, there was already a draft law by the federal government that dealt, among other things, with the monitoring and recording of ongoing telecommunications and the reading of encrypted transmissions.

xx Messenger: This is planned for 2022

Not all planned features have been implemented at the start, but the list is long. For example, self-deleting messages, notifications as soon as someone takes a screenshot of the chat, and emoji reactions are to come soon. In the long term, GIFs (moving images), dark mode and voice calls are planned. Channels like Slack and Discord are also set to land, but will be much more private. They’re meant to be similar to group chats, but group chats “on steroids.”

xx Messenger: Free to Download

You can download the xx Messenger free of charge from the Google Play Store or the App Store. However, the ratings are still limited. There are currently 3.9 stars in the Google Play Store, users report that not everything is running smoothly. The number of downloads is currently more than 10,000 (as of April 6, 9:45 a.m.). Will it eventually succeed in overtaking Signal (4.5 stars, more than 100 million downloads) and WhatsApp (3.9 stars, 5 billion downloads)? Chaum’s words promise great things: “xx messenger decentralizes private communication in the same way that bitcoin decentralized finance.”



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