Twitter co-founder launches secure, internet-free messaging app

Jack Dorsey — Twitter, Bluesky, and Square co-founder and Bitcoin evangelist — is now taking on the world of private messaging apps.

Announced earlier this week, Dorsey's latest project is called Bitchat, a reportedly secure and private messaging app that doesn't need to connect to the internet or cell service at all. Instead, Dorsey explains in a recent white paper published on GitHub, the end-to-end encrypted app uses decentralized Bluetooth tech to connect one user to another — a type of offline communication popularized by apps like Bridgefy and preferred among the privacy-focused.

The system Dorsey is hinging his latest project on is known as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks. These networks traditionally have limited range — most Bluetooth connections work within 100 meters — but Dorsey claims his new tech can extend to 300 meters (or 984 feet). The app, which Dorsey called a "weekend project," was coded using the help of Goose, an open-source AI "vibe coding" assistant built by his company Block.

"bitchat addresses the need for resilient, private communication that doesn't depend on centralized infrastructure," Dorsey writes. "By leveraging Bluetooth Low Energy mesh networking, bitchat enables direct peer-to-peer messaging within physical proximity, with automatic message relay extending the effective range beyond direct Bluetooth connections."

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However, the tech founder's promises of an entirely decentralized, secure platform have already been called into question by users and experts, in part due to a potentially vulnerable authentication system that could allow a malicious actor to intercept the secure connection. Dorsey has since added a disclaimer alongside a note that the project is a "work in progress." The disclaimer reads: “This software has not received external security review and may contain vulnerabilities and does not necessarily meet its stated security goals. Do not use it for production use, and do not rely on its security whatsoever until it has been reviewed."