I have been following the Loki project (which has now rebranded to Oxen and will be referred to as such throughout the rest of this article) and their development team for a couple years now.
They are behind a few different privacy tools in addition to their privacy coin.
Oxen is a cryptocurrency based on the same protocols as Monero, with a proof-of-stake model rather than proof-of-work. Oxen also offers some unique privacy tools as well.
Oxen Coin - A cryptocurrency based on the same protocols as Monero, but utilizing a proof-of-stake consensus model with "service nodes" that are similar to "master nodes" you'd see on some other popular networks like Dash.
Lokinet, being one. It is similar to Tor, however it is supposedly less prone to sybil attacks simply because the cost and logistics of doing such.
Session Messenger being another.
In this post we will be going over Session, and why you should be using it now or at the very least, paying attention to it. Especially if you value privacy!
Features
Session masters the usual chat functions. There are voice messages, a GIF search (with privacy warning), file sharing and group chats.
You can add new contacts by scanning a QR code or exchanging the session ID/public key. You can share your groups via a link.
Another advantage Session has over similar competitors Signal or Telegram or WhatsApp is the end-to-end encrypted group chats. Up to ten people can network completely anonymously.
Session is available in the Play Store (or as an APK), in the App Store for download for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Linux.
You can use the same Session ID on all your devices at the same time. I currently access mine from my Samsung Note 10+ and Pop_OS 20.04 desktop.
After installing Session, it creates a - hence the name - new session.
This is protected by a recovery phrase. So if you change your smartphone, you can continue your session on the new device using this phrase.
Or you can setup multiple devices such as your phone and. PC, both using the same keys to communicate! Nice!
Who is behind Session?
Session is part of the Oxen Foundation, which is a non-profit organization without a permanent seat. The CEO is Simon Harman from Australia.
Despite the project being a non-profit, it wants to monetize it's products. Parts of the infrastructure are based on a blockchain network, $OXEN/$LOKI.
Session is also forked from the popular encrypted messaging app Signal.
However, unlike Signal and other popular encrypted messaging apps, Session DOESN'T require any of your information to start using it.
No e-mail addresses or phone numbers or any other revealing informations required!
This is because Session uses private keys, like Bitcoin! Neat!
Lots of Potential
Session is still very young. But, it has a ton of potential.
The decentralized nature and lack of data collection makes it a really interesting to those who value their privacy.
Especially considering all the censorship and data collection that has been happening with the tech giants and big social networks like Google, Facebook, and Twitter just to name a few.
If this sounds something you'd be interested in checking out, go ahead and click the links to the Session and Oxen official websites I've pasted below!
There you will find heaps of more information and the download links to give it a test-drive yourself! Enjoy!
Session Official Site - https://getsession.org/
Oxen Official Site (currently under construction as of writing this post) - https://oxen.io/
Be sure to spread the word! Privacy is an important part of the internet and we all should value it highly! Don't let the big tech giants continue to make money by selling your valuable data! You'd be amazed if you read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies of some of these sites and apps!
