Beyond finance and Bitcoin: How blockchain is disrupting secure messaging

cointelegraph.com:

In the evolving landscape of decentralized messaging apps, Session stands out as a frontrunner, offering a robust, open-source and fully decentralized platform that puts security first and gives back data control to users.

Blockchain is, by default, associated with financial applications and profit-making opportunities, with Bitcoin (BTC) being its first use case and decentralized finance (DeFi) representing its most promising trend.

However, the technology is industry-agnostic and can transform any data-driven market where privacy and security are core elements.

The financial sector has already embraced the potential of blockchain technology, with influential global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the Bank for International Settlements regularly discussing it. However, there is another sector in need of increased security and decentralization — communication.

The most popular messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and Threema, use centralized servers, which leaves them vulnerable to security challenges like hacking attacks. This can affect the millions of users sharing their data with these apps. For example, in 2021, Facebook (now Meta) experienced a personal data leak that affected a whopping 500 million users, who saw their details shared online.

While these centralized messaging apps apply advanced encryption methods, their centralized architecture is a security issue. Users have to trust these entities in the first place — sharing one’s name, phone number and even their bank account details with an unknown entity doesn’t come naturally to the modern individual without an element of trust.

Building a decentralized messaging infrastructure can ensure greater privacy and security for