Elon Musk’s XChat Rollout: Security Questions Arise Amidst ‘Bitcoin-Style Encryption’ Claims
Elon Musk announced on Sunday the rollout of XChat, a revamped Direct Messaging (DM) feature on X, boasting features like disappearing messages, encryption, file sharing, and audio/video call support [1]. The new feature aims to provide users with advanced communication options directly within the X platform.
While the announcement has generated buzz, XChat is currently in beta testing with a limited group of users. Musk stated that the X team anticipates a full rollout to all users this week, contingent on successful scaling [2]. The timeline remains subject to potential technical challenges during implementation.
Musk detailed that the updated XChat is built on Rust, incorporating a “Bitcoin-style” encryption and a completely new architecture [1]. This description has sparked debate, as Bitcoin itself isn’t encrypted, relying instead on public key cryptography and signatures [3]. The precise meaning behind Musk’s terminology remains unclear.
The use of “Bitcoin-style encryption” has drawn scrutiny, with some suggesting it could be marketing language, a misunderstanding of encryption principles, or simply an imprecise term [4]. Tech experts are actively discussing the implications and potential security of the new system [5].
Musk has previously expressed his ambition to position X’s DMs as a rival to encrypted platforms like Signal and iMessage [6] [7]. The description of XChat’s security as only “Bitcoin-style encryption,” however, raises questions about its competitive potential in this space.
Adding to its feature set, XChat now allows users to make audio and video calls across all platforms without requiring a phone number [8]. This move aims to enhance user accessibility and convenience.
Prior to the XChat launch, X paused development on its previous encrypted DMs feature [9], signaling that XChat would supersede the older system. This transition marks a strategic shift in X’s approach to secure messaging.
X has recently experienced instability, with multiple outages affecting timeline browsing and other features, including XChat [10] [11]. These technical difficulties present ongoing challenges for the platform.
