Ask HN: Are there any truly private chat apps?

#1

Post by fir3dvst » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 6:26 PM UTC

If you have to input email, phone or any identifying info to use - it's not private. I'm thinking about a messaging service that generates a key for you to use for identification and encryption. All data is encrypted on the client side. Everything is tied to a single key that the user is responsible for keeping safe to access their chats.

Does something like this exist?

Re: Ask HN: Are there any truly private chat apps?

#2

Post by ArinaS » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 6:27 PM UTC

SimpleX?

https://simplex.chat/

Re: Ask HN: Are there any truly private chat apps?

#3

Post by mhroth » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 6:49 PM UTC

https://threema.ch/en

Re: Ask HN: Are there any truly private chat apps?

#4

Post by fir3dvst » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 6:56 PM UTC

ArinaS wrote: post #2

SimpleX? https://simplex.chat/

Yes, at a quick glance, this is it. I'm curious about the obsession with random numbers. How feasible is it to crack even a simple uuid4 identifier?

Re: Ask HN: Are there any truly private chat apps?

#5

Post by bradac56 » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 7:06 PM UTC

Session - no phone number or e-mail needed.

It creates a 66-digit alphanumeric number for user identification when you create a new account.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any truly private chat apps?

#6

Post by bradac56 » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 7:07 PM UTC

fir3dvst wrote: post #4

ArinaS wrote: post #2

SimpleX? https://simplex.chat/

Yes, at a quick glance, this is it. I'm curious about the obsession with random numbers. How feasible is it to crack even a simple uuid4 identifier?

without a user id number it has to track your usage think about that for a minute.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any truly private chat apps?

#7

Post by fir3dvst » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 7:21 PM UTC

bradac56 wrote: post #5

Session - no phone number or e-mail needed. It creates a 66-digit alphanumeric number for user identification when you create a new account.

yes, that's it

Re: Ask HN: Are there any truly private chat apps?

#8

Post by bradac56 » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 10:00 PM UTC

fir3dvst wrote: post #7

bradac56 wrote: post #5

Session - no phone number or e-mail needed. It creates a 66-digit alphanumeric number for user identification when you create a new account.

yes, that's it

[dead]

Re: Ask HN: Are there any truly private chat apps?

#9

Post by bradac56 » Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 10:07 PM UTC

fir3dvst wrote: post #4

ArinaS wrote: post #2

SimpleX? https://simplex.chat/

Yes, at a quick glance, this is it. I'm curious about the obsession with random numbers. How feasible is it to crack even a simple uuid4 identifier?

To answer the question a simple 6 digit number a few hows with an off the shelf brute force program. 10 to 20 digits could take a year if it's a good generator.

40+ digits good luck with that I doubt there's many on this site that would even know of the names of the software needed for that and far fewer outside of a 3 digit organization that has the time to dedicate a high end computer for the job.

It's just easier to get the information via social eng means or a $5 hammer to the knee caps.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any truly private chat apps?

#10

Post by austin-cheney » Tue, Apr 15, 2025, 1:11 AM UTC

IRC on SIPR is private.