All messages that are sent and received are fully end-to-end encrypted at every step in the communication process. For more detailed information about how this works under the hood please check out the LNC documentation.

You should take steps to protect your IP address any time that you are using the Internet. This can be achieved by using a VPN, Tor, I2P, or other private network technologies.

There are two third parties involved when using a public instance of Cipherchat. The server running the application and the Lightning Node Connect (LNC) - Mailbox relay proxy server. Lightning Labs runs the most popular Mailbox, but Cipherchat plans to also setup it's own. All third parties can be eliminated by self-hosting the software. This is possible because the entire tech stack is free and open-souce. To run a fully sovereign instance of Cipherchat you will need to setup the following:

1. A lightning node compatible with LNC (currently this is only LND)
2. Lightning Terminal (other applications will be developed in the future)
3. Cipherchat front-end application (see README for instructions)
4. LNC Mailbox relay proxy server (comes bundled with Aperture)

* See the FAQ for more information.

If you have any questions or need help setting up any of the above please reach out.

In summary, the default privacy when using a public instance of Cipherchat is pretty good. However, the best option for full control will always be running the stack yourself. This also has the added benefit of improving decentralization.

Cipherchat cares about privacy and everyone should too!