Jack Dorsey will launch a decentralized messenger called Bitchat

What’s new? Twitter creator and head of payments company Block (formerly Square) Jack Dorsey has unveiled a concept for a decentralized messaging platform called Bitchat, powered entirely by Bluetooth. Bitchat would offer censorship-resistant communication even during internet outages or infrastructure failures.

Source: X.com

What else is known? According to the White Paper, Bitchat is a privacy-oriented messenger on an architecture with intermediate storage using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) network for peer-to-peer communication without the use of the Internet.

Bitchat runs on a BLE network, allowing users to communicate securely within a physical area. Each device acts as a client and server, decentralizing messages between users.

This design extends communication beyond the direct range of Bluetooth, allowing offline or remote devices to be reached via nearby nodes.

The Bitchat protocol allows devices to scan other devices within a 30-meter radius using a UUID. Once detected, they connect and create a chat.

Messages are encrypted end-to-end and by default exist only in the device’s memory, which ensures security. At the same time, the platform has a storage and forwarding system.

Bitchat also caches messages sent to temporarily disconnected devices. Once these devices reconnect to the network, they automatically retrieve the messages sent.

Bitchat’s structure eliminates the need for phone numbers, email addresses, or persistent identifiers. Communication is encrypted at multiple levels and digital signatures are used to authenticate messages.

The White Paper emphasizes:

“Bitchat demonstrates that secure, private messaging is possible without centralized infrastructure. By combining Bluetooth mesh networking, end-to-end encryption, and privacy-preserving protocols, bitchat provides resilient communication that works anywhere people gather, regardless of internet availability.”

In 2023, Dorsey led a funding round for the OCEAN mining pool from Bitcoin Core software developer Luke Dashjr, which helped the project raise $6,2 million. In April, Tether, the issuer of the largest USDT stablecoin, announced it was deploying its entire hashrate to OCEAN.

Late last year, Block announced that it would increase investment in cryptocurrency mining and crypto wallet development and cut non-mining business units.