Elon Musk unveils the new messaging platform XChat with encryption ‘à la Bitcoin’
New bombastic announcement from Elon Musk: XChat, a brand new messaging service set to revolutionize digital communication. Promising ‘Bitcoin-style’ encryption, vanishing messages, file sharing without a phone number… but beneath the marketing, the tech community is skeptical.
Rust, Bitcoin, and Technical Confusion
Musk touts an architecture in Rust and ‘encryption like Bitcoin’. However, in the crypto world, these terms do not captivate everyone. Ian Miers, a computer science professor at the University of Maryland, dismantles the announcement bluntly:
Dire que c’est sécurisé comme Bitcoin, c’est comme dire qu’on alimente une fusée avec de l’eau parce que la NASA utilise hydrogène et oxygène.
The crux of the issue? Bitcoin does not use encryption to secure transactions, but digital signatures. Data flowing on the Bitcoin network is public, readable by everyone. Result: the comparison is misleading, if not absurd in a private messaging context.
A Vague Promise of Security
XChat promises end-to-end encryption, self-destructing messages, and file sharing without the need for a phone number. On paper, the offer seems tempting. But for Miers, the lack of technical details and excessive jargon is alarming: ‘Bitcoin-style and Rust do not at all describe a serious encryption protocol.’
Unless proven otherwise, ‘encrypted’ messages could either not leave the application or rely on mechanisms far removed from proven standards like Signal Protocol. Doubt looms.
Bitcoin Remains Unmoved
In the market, the launch of XChat did not cause a ripple in the crypto ecosystem. The price of Bitcoin remained stable around $105,000, after having dropped by 3% the previous week. Musk, known for shaking up BTC charts with a simple tweet, did not spark any movement this time.
