BChat is an open-source privacy-preserving decentralized messaging app.
The app minimizes metadata collection and does not require a phone number to register.
The app is built atop Beldex Network, which also plays host to onion-routing VPN BelNet, Web3 browser Beldex Browser, and the Beldex Privacy Protocol.
Among activists, journalists, or merely private citizens concerned about government encroachment on their communications, being able to message securely and privately is one of the highest priorities. But with even some of the most advanced messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram showing willingness to share users’ metadata with governments under certain legal circumstances, finding a truly secure platform to communicate via is increasingly challenging.
Blockchain technology, though it initially attracted interest due to its privacy-preserving characteristics, is not necessarily anonymous by design—particularly non-privacy-focused blockchains like Bitcoin. Law enforcement and investigators have become increasingly proficient at tracing the real identities of individuals controlling wallets in recent years, such as in the aftermath of the 2016 Bitfinex hack or the 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack.
BChat, rolled out publicly in 2022, was designed specifically to preserve users’ privacy, going a step beyond conventional protections like end-to-end encryption (E2EE), which is common among mainstream messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage and Telegram’s Secret Chats.
What Is BChat?
BChat is an open-source privacy-focused messaging app available for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is designed to protect user privacy by removing phone number requirements for registration and minimizing metadata collection.
It represents just one part of the Beldex ecosystem, including onion-routing VPN BelNet, Web3 browser Beldex Browser, and the Beldex Privacy Protocol, which can be used to increase cross-chain anonymity.
