"Bitcoin-style" Encryption and Zero Ads. Elon Musk Announces X Chat — a "WhatsApp Killer" with End-to-End Protection
X Chat promises a level of privacy never seen before from its competitors.
X Chat promises a level of privacy never seen before from its competitors.
During a recent interview on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Elon Musk introduced a new project—a standalone messaging application called X Chat. According to him, the service will provide a high level of confidentiality and security thanks to "Bitcoin-style encryption."
Musk explained that the system will use peer-to-peer encryption, similar to the technology underlying Bitcoin. It is designed to eliminate the possibility of message interception and data leaks. The entrepreneur stated that the application is already undergoing testing and will be released in the coming months.
"We have completely rebuilt the messaging system in X. It uses peer-to-peer encryption, similar to the Bitcoin network. There are no advertising mechanisms in X," Musk stated.
The main principle of the new messenger is no ads and no data collection. Musk emphasized that platforms using behavioral data for targeting create a "huge security vulnerability," because "if a system knows enough to show you ads, it knows too much about you."
This statement was a direct jab at competitors, particularly WhatsApp, which responded almost immediately. In an official statement, the company noted that users' personal chats are protected by end-to-end encryption, which is inaccessible both to the company itself and for advertising purposes.
Musk clarified that X Chat will eventually replace the current Direct Message (DM) system within the X platform. The new service will allow sending text, files, and making audio and video calls while remaining fully encrypted. Musk himself called X Chat "the least insecure of all messengers."
Users of the social network X reacted to the news in different ways. Some welcomed the idea, calling the project a "WhatsApp killer," while others doubted the system's transparency. One user noted that if messages are displayed within the X application, they theoretically cannot be completely hidden from the platform. Others demanded an independent security audit before trusting the new tool.
As early as this summer, Musk hinted that X Chat would be written in the Rust language and use a "Bitcoin-like encryption" scheme. Even then, experts expressed doubts about the feasibility of the idea.
