Musk prepares rollout of encrypted messaging app “X Chat”

Tech magnate Elon Musk is preparing to disrupt the messaging app market with the upcoming release of “X Chat,” a new standalone platform designed to rival industry leaders such as Telegram and WhatsApp. The launch is expected to take place in the coming months.

Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Musk revealed that “X Chat” will utilise a peer-to-peer encryption system inspired by blockchain technology, similar to the framework used in Bitcoin.

He emphasised the platform’s focus on security and data protection, noting that its encryption protocols are currently undergoing extensive testing to ensure maximum resilience.

Musk also stated that “X Chat” will operate without advertising or data-collection mechanisms, directly criticising competitors like WhatsApp, which he claims extract user information to enable targeted advertising. According to Musk, these ad-related “hooks” create vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit to gain access to private messages.

Although Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, maintains that all messages are protected by end-to-end encryption through the Signal Protocol, the app still collects unencrypted metadata, including contact details and communication frequency. In addition, chat backups are not automatically encrypted, which further raises privacy concerns.

Musk has pledged that “X Chat” will completely eliminate such privacy-compromising features. He envisions the new platform replacing the direct messaging system on the X platform (formerly Twitter), creating a fully encrypted space for text messages, file sharing, and voice or video calls.

Musk concluded that “X Chat” aims to be the most secure messaging option available, offering users the flexibility to access it either through the X platform or as a standalone application.

By Tamilla Hasanova