Delta Chat - decentralized messenger on top of email
Is your email out of date? Which messenger should be used to avoid getting into a difficult situation and not losing touch with friends? Is it possible to use old technology in a new way?
Some brilliant ideas are so simple that afterwards there is always bewilderment, why did something so obvious not come into common use earlier? Well, if this has not happened so far, now - in the era of a new wave of censorship, government blocking of Internet resources and the constant threat of surveillance - it's probably time to rethink the approach to e-mailing ...
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Delta Chat is a free decentralized messenger for Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, operating on top of the oldest stack of E-mail protocols. A Windows version is under development.
The key features of DeltaChat are the following:
Here is how the authors of the messenger themselves answer this question:
Does Delta Chat support images, videos and other attachments?
Yes. In addition to plain text, all email attachments are displayed as separate messages. Outgoing messages will receive attachments as needed automatically.
Does Delta Chat support HTML emails?
Yes. If the incoming email lacks the plain text part, we convert the HTML emails into plain text ourselves. Outgoing messages always use plain text.
Does Delta Chat support pass-through encryption?
Yes. Delta Chat implements the Autocrypt Level 1 standard and can thus provide end-to-end E2E message encryption with other Autocrypt-enabled applications.
What do I need to do to enable end-to-end encryption?
Nothing.
Delta Chat applications (and other Autocrypt-compatible email applications) exchange the keys necessary for end-to-end encryption automatically at the moment that the first messages are sent. After that, all subsequent messages are automatically encrypted. If one of the chat partners is using an email application that is not compatible with Autocrypt, the messages are not encrypted until an application compatible with Autocrypt is available again.
If you want to deactivate end-to-end encryption, use the appropriate setting in the “Settings / Advanced Settings” section.
How to check encryption?
If a small lock is displayed next to the message, this means that the message is encrypted with end-to-end encryption and sent from this sender, and your reply will also be protected with end-to-end E2E encryption.
If the lock is not displayed, the message is protected only by the transport level of encryption from the application to the mail server. because you or the sender have disabled pass-through encryption or the sender is using an application that does not support pass-through encryption.
How can I check the sender?
The user profile displays additional information:
You can tap “QR invite code” on Android, and then use the “scan QR-code” button on another device to scan this code. If both devices are connected to the network, they will create a chat channel with each other (if it does not already exist), and the encryption keys will be checked.
To diagnose end-to-end encryption, Delta Chat shows two fingerprints of keys. If they are the same on your device and the device of your chat partner, then the connection is safe.
Do you like the idea of ​​this messenger? Or maybe you have long been using Delta chat or something similar? Write in the comments!
Some brilliant ideas are so simple that afterwards there is always bewilderment, why did something so obvious not come into common use earlier? Well, if this has not happened so far, now - in the era of a new wave of censorship, government blocking of Internet resources and the constant threat of surveillance - it's probably time to rethink the approach to e-mailing ...
I present to you the project DeltaChat
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Delta Chat is a free decentralized messenger for Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, operating on top of the oldest stack of E-mail protocols. A Windows version is under development.
The key features of DeltaChat are the following:
- Delta Chat does not have a single server or infrastructure — the application connects to any email server you choose;
- Distributed communication with other domains through the federation of mail servers;
- the recipient can be any email owner, even if he hasn’t yet installed Delta Chat;
- if possible, the Autocrypt mechanism is used for encrypting correspondence, messages are encrypted automatically (and a lock is shown to the user);
- the display of read marks and delivery status and quick notifications function thanks to the Push-IMAP protocol ;
- to protect against spam, by default, only messages from the contact list are displayed;
- fully open source GPLv3 licensed application and standards-based protocols
Why use Delta Chat?
Here is how the authors of the messenger themselves answer this question:
...
All communication is now carried out through WhatsApp, Instagram or similar applications - well, not all, but quite a lot. There are about six billion e-mail addresses in the world and more than one billion people use chat now instead of e-mail. Why? Chat is the easiest way to communicate.
...
This ease is rewarded. Although there are some dangerous traps.
...
Here is a thought experiment: imagine whatsapp was already invented in the Weimar Republic. Then the Nazis came to power. Now it’s enough for the Gestapo to visit only a few corporations, and they already know every Jew, official - even if they have never used WhatsApp. And they know who is with whom. And with the help of moving profiles, they easily understand where the most suitable place is for arrest. History already knows many similar examples ...
Now, there is a real alternative to whatsapp. It is called “Delta Chat”. Anyone who uses this new application on their mobile phone can already communicate with six billion users - without the need to persuade them to switch. Just write letters, but now in the form of a chat with certain people. Delta Chat feels like whatsapp. If the interlocutors want the same feeling, they can download Delta Chat to their mobile phone - and communicate together, as in WhatsApp. But they are not required, the application can be used alone.
Why is Delta Chat better? It has an incomparable advantage over WhatsApp: without having to convince anyone, you can already communicate with anyone who has an email address, and not just with WhatsApp users. If you want, use Delta Chat. Or not.
FAQ
Does Delta Chat support images, videos and other attachments?
Yes. In addition to plain text, all email attachments are displayed as separate messages. Outgoing messages will receive attachments as needed automatically.
Does Delta Chat support HTML emails?
Yes. If the incoming email lacks the plain text part, we convert the HTML emails into plain text ourselves. Outgoing messages always use plain text.
Does Delta Chat support pass-through encryption?
Yes. Delta Chat implements the Autocrypt Level 1 standard and can thus provide end-to-end E2E message encryption with other Autocrypt-enabled applications.
What do I need to do to enable end-to-end encryption?
Nothing.
Delta Chat applications (and other Autocrypt-compatible email applications) exchange the keys necessary for end-to-end encryption automatically at the moment that the first messages are sent. After that, all subsequent messages are automatically encrypted. If one of the chat partners is using an email application that is not compatible with Autocrypt, the messages are not encrypted until an application compatible with Autocrypt is available again.
If you want to deactivate end-to-end encryption, use the appropriate setting in the “Settings / Advanced Settings” section.
How to check encryption?
If a small lock is displayed next to the message, this means that the message is encrypted with end-to-end encryption and sent from this sender, and your reply will also be protected with end-to-end E2E encryption.
If the lock is not displayed, the message is protected only by the transport level of encryption from the application to the mail server. because you or the sender have disabled pass-through encryption or the sender is using an application that does not support pass-through encryption.
How can I check the sender?
The user profile displays additional information:
You can tap “QR invite code” on Android, and then use the “scan QR-code” button on another device to scan this code. If both devices are connected to the network, they will create a chat channel with each other (if it does not already exist), and the encryption keys will be checked.
To diagnose end-to-end encryption, Delta Chat shows two fingerprints of keys. If they are the same on your device and the device of your chat partner, then the connection is safe.
Do you like the idea of ​​this messenger? Or maybe you have long been using Delta chat or something similar? Write in the comments!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/442266/
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