The regular messaging applications we use know almost everything about us. They not only collect our phone numbers and email IDs but they may also track us all the time. Many messaging applications know where we are at any given time, what website we last shopped on, what we bought and so on. And all of this happens in the background while we’re completely unaware of it.

 

In recent times, people have grown more cautious about how much information they share with these applications. The outcry against social media and messaging companies have also led them to restrict the amount of information they extract from their users. However, our conversations and actions on most messaging applications are still not as private as companies behind them may want us to think.

Use of blockchain in communication

Blockchains are known for their privacy and security-centric features. As a decentralised network, the first benefit it offers online communication platforms is the removal of a central entity. There will be no central entity controlling the data stored or sent by users. 

 

Every message sent on a blockchain-based messaging application will be encrypted and can only be accessed either by the receiver or the sender. This is possible because when two people interact using a blockchain application, they are sending pieces of information directly to each other without the involvement of any intermediary.

 

These messaging applications work similarly to decentralised exchanges, where people transact cryptocurrencies directly with each other without the involvement of a third party. The blockchain-based messaging applications will only act as a platform to facilitate truly peer-to-peer communication.

 

In addition, there will be no central database for the platforms to secretly store user data. Every bit of information will be hashed and stored on the network. While it will act as public proof of the messages or data exchange, no one would be able to decrypt the data to extract the sensitive information behind it.

 

While the most obvious use case of blockchain in communication is private messaging for individual users, we can also use blockchain for securely communicating or transferring data between organisations. Blockchains can help connect various data centres across the globe and use their idle bandwidth to easily move data in a decentralised manner.

 

In addition to the highly encrypted communication features that blockchain applications can provide, users may also become a node on the blockchain network or earn rewards for their engagement.

Risks to blockchain-based communication platforms

No technology is entirely secure against attacks and blockchains and applications built on top of them are no exception. If a majority of the validator nodes on a blockchain network collaborate to conduct an attack, they may easily compromise the security of the communication applications. Or, if a single person or entity may create thousands of nodes using different identities on a blockchain network they can control the network and spy on other people’s communications.

Toward a more secure future

Although blockchain has its own flaws and challenges to overcome, the technology has shown immense resilience against security threats. It has not only proved its mettle in the finance industry but across various other sectors including online communications. And as blockchain gains more adoption across all sectors, Alacrity Network provides developers with the best-in-class tools and software development kits to develop messaging applications on the blockchain.