Tired of being spied upon by Facebook Messenger and other questionable chat apps? Want to have completely private, encrypted text, voice, or video chats? How about the ability to have safe, secure, and encrypted file transfers during your conversation? Cyph is an end-to-end encrypted chat service that works in a browser, and even lets you securely share files.
Cyph focuses on encryption and privacy. It is a direct competitor with Signal Messenger except that, unlike Signal, Cyph requires no registration and no need to download software to your computer. You do not need to provide your name, email address, or any other identifying information to any corporation in order to use this private, encrypted app.
Cyph encrypts all your video and voice calls, along with your text chats. Even the documents you share, be it photos or videos, are encrypted, so they are safe from data leaks.
To start an a private, encrypted online text chat, audio call, or two-way video conversation, simply go to cyph.im or click the “start new cyph” button and a Cyph link will be generated for you to send to a friend. When your friend clicks on the link, you both will enter a secure chat. The link will only be active for ten minutes, then will be erased from the Cyph servers. A typical link might look like this: https://cyph.im/#OVRfQ9khZn4WbKXAKGfQRT. (Your Cyph link will be slightly different from this example.)
Again, no signups or downloads required!
Cyph only supports chats between two people. There is no provision to have three or more people in the chat simultaneously. That’s both a good thing and a bad thing:
It’s bad because sometimes you might want to converse with several people simultaneously.
However, it is good for security: even if you send the link to the secure chat session in an insecure method (through normal email or through an unsecured chat session), no third person will ever be able to “tap into” your conversation. Only two people are allowed to access the chat at any time. Once you have identified the other person in your new chat session as being the one person you really wish to converse with, the remainder of your conversation remains encrypted with no outsiders being able to read or listen to your conversation.
I suspect Cyph is a good tool for use in countries where repressive governments try to block secure, encrypted communications. However, I have no way of testing that. Can someone in a country with a repressive government test that and let me know?
I am certain that Cyph will block any attempts to spy on your communications by the National Security Agency (NSA), the FBI , local law enforcement, the Communications Security Establishment of the Canadian government, the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), as well as snooping by your ex-wife’s lawyer.
If you want the ultimate security, sort of a “belt and suspenders” approach, first connect to the anonymous Tor network and then launch Cyph. Details for that are provided at https://www.cyph.com/blog/how-to-use-cyph-with-tor-for-the-ultimate-combination-of-security-and-privacy/.
Cyph is useful for both individuals and businesses. It is FREE to use at this time and the company plans to keep it free for individuals forever. However, there may be charges in the future for using Cyph in corporations.
Cyph only works in Windows and Macintosh systems. There is no Android or Apple iOS (iPhone, iPad, or iPhone touch) capability just yet. However, the programmers at Cyph hope to add those operating systems in the future. Keep an eye on the Cyph Blog at https://www.cyph.com/blog/ for future developments.
You can learn more about Cyph or even start a private, encrypted online text chat, audio call, or two-way video conversation by starting at https://www.cyph.com/. Again, no sign-up is needed.
- Perhaps the Biggest Scams of All: Know-Your-Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money-Laundering Laws (AML)
- If You Can Quit Social Media, But Don’t, then You’re Part of the Problem
Categories: Online Privacy & Security
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Privacy Blog 