Blockchain Firm Unstoppable Domains Rolls out Decentralized Chat To Fight Censorship

Blockchain software firm Unstoppable Domains has announced the launch of a P2P chat protocol out of Mozilla’s ‘Fix the Internet’ incubator.

Based in San Francisco, Unstoppable Domains is using blockchain technology to build domains. The firm creates its own domain extensions (like .com or .info) and sells domains directly to consumers. The company is backed by Draper Associates and Boost VC and has received grants from the Ethereum Foundation and Zilliqa Foundation.

Called Dchat, Unstoppable Domains’ new decentralized chat protocol integrates with a user’s crypto wallet and p2p networks to secure and store chat messages. Unlike traditional chat apps that store messages on their own servers, Dchat is 100% controlled by users.

“Increased attention on messaging privacy has become a flashpoint for consumers as companies are known to read users text messages to place advertisements or block messages as part of surveillance programs run by some governments,” the company said. “To make matters worse, recent legislation aimed at increasing liability for companies providing chat servers threatens to entirely eliminate a whole class of private messaging apps in the United States. Under the EarnIT act certain secure messaging platforms, like Signal, may even need to leave the US market entirely dealing a huge blow to privacy advocates.”

According to Unstoppable Domains, Dchat makes it impossible for companies to spy on or censor their user’s messages because users are the only ones with the ability to view their messages. By using end to end encryption and sending new messages directly from a users device to the p2p network Dchat doesn’t need to worry about the EarnIT act.

“Privacy is a human right,” said Unstoppable Domains co-founder, Brad Kam. “The way technology works today, we are unable to have private conversations with our friends and families. Decentralized chat is a way to address encroaching surveillance in society, specifically the EarnIT act. We hope to see others build on and improve on decentralized chat protocols.”