Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Mask recently revealed that their social media platform X will launch the independent communications application “X Chat” in the coming months. According to Mask, the X Chat application is not simply a new chat, but a complete re-engineering of the X Platform message system. He described the project as the construction of a “full message warehouse” from scratch and the deployment of a “bitcoin-like” point-to-point encryption system.
It is now known that X Chat will integrate text communications, document contributions, audio and video calls in the X ecosystem, and is committed to completely abandoning advertising patterns, in contrast to traditional communications applications that rely on user data for their realization. In a television show, Mask stated that the X platform had “reconstructed the entire information technology warehouse” and stressed that security should be seen as “a different degree of risk” rather than as a two-fold confrontation. He explained: “The system uses a point-to-point-to-point-based encryption technology, to some extent similar to bitcoin. We think it’s an excellent encryption program.” Mask also revealed that the functionality was in the full test phase. In particular, he noted that, unlike the competition that relied on advertising for profit, X Chat would not have an “advertisement interface”, thus avoiding the risk of abuse.
It is planned that X Chat, in addition to being embedded in the X platform, will launch an independent application that is expected to be available “in a few months”. Both versions support text communications, document sharing and audio and video calls when they are functionally improved. The new system will upgrade X’s existing private mail and is now open for testing to Premium subscribers. The in-house chat supports the receipt and distribution of text, pictures, media attachments, GIF animations and files via the X account number (non-cell phone number).
According to Tradingview, X Chat has the advantage of its encryption model. Mask borrows the Bitcoin block chain network analogies, indicating that the system will store trust and data through nodal distribution and discard the centralized server. While complete technical specifications are not published, it is suggested that information (which may include metadata) will avoid centralized storage and route and significantly increase the difficulty of wiretapping and interception.
Mask targets respond to the concerns of the current mainstream communication platform: while most provide end-to-end content encryption, they collect metadata that expose social relationships (e.g., communications objects, frequency, location). By invoking Bitcoin, Mask released signals that would draw on the encryption distribution structure, decentrization and even discovery mechanisms. If X Chat is successfully implemented, a safer, unadvertised alternative would pose a challenge to existing giants such as WhatsApp and Telegram. But the key to success or failure lies in the details of implementation: technological stability, user experience and the size of the network will determine whether this is a breakthrough innovation or another grand vision that is difficult to reach.