Elon Musk Enters the Messaging Arena with X Chat

Tech entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk is poised to shake up the messaging app landscape with the launch of “X Chat,” a standalone application set to compete with industry giants like Telegram and WhatsApp. The rollout is anticipated within the coming months.

X Chat's Core Features

During his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Musk detailed that “X Chat” leverages a peer-to-peer-based encryption system, drawing parallels to Bitcoin's blockchain technology. He emphasized the robustness of this encryption, stating that it's undergoing rigorous testing.

Privacy First: No Advertising Hooks

Musk asserted that “X Chat” would be devoid of any advertising “hooks,” a direct critique of competitors like WhatsApp, which he alleges collects message content data to deliver targeted advertisements. He warned that such practices constitute a significant security vulnerability, potentially allowing hackers to exploit these “hooks” and access private communications.

Concerns Regarding WhatsApp's Privacy

While WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, maintains that it cannot access private messages due to end-to-end encryption using the Signal Protocol, metadata (such as contact details and frequency of communication) remains unencrypted. Moreover, WhatsApp does not automatically encrypt backup copies of chat histories.

What Sets X Chat Apart?

Musk vows that “X Chat” will eschew the privacy-compromising advertising “hooks.” He envisions the new app replacing the existing direct messaging system on the X platform (formerly Twitter), providing a fully encrypted environment for text, file sharing, and audio/video calls. Musk believes that “X Chat” will be the least insecure option among available messaging systems. He confirmed that the app will be accessible both as an integral part of the X platform and as a separate, standalone application.