Elon Musk says XChat is rolling out to all, but questions remain about its alleged security

In an exciting update, Elon Musk announced on Sunday that the revamped direct messaging feature known as XChat is set to be made available to all users. This new iteration will introduce a range of capabilities, including disappearing messages, file sharing, and enhanced audio and video calling functionalities. Although XChat has just begun beta testing with a limited audience, Musk indicated that the rollout for all users could occur within the week, pending any potential scaling challenges. In his announcements on the platform, Musk mentioned that XChat is built using Rust and features what he refers to as 'Bitcoin-style' encryption along with a 'whole new architecture.' However, the term 'Bitcoin-style encryption' has sparked debate, as Bitcoin relies on public key cryptography rather than traditional encryption methods. Critics have raised questions about whether Musk is using this terminology inaccurately or if he is simply employing marketing jargon. Despite aspirations to position XChat as a competitor to encrypted messaging services like Signal and iMessage, the use of 'Bitcoin-style encryption' raises doubts about its security capabilities. Additionally, Musk highlighted that XChat users can engage in audio and video calls without requiring a phone number, functioning across various platforms. As this new feature is being introduced, X has reportedly paused its development of encrypted direct messages, indicating that XChat will eventually supersede the older system. However, the platform has encountered significant instability recently, with users experiencing multiple outages that disrupted access to timelines and other functionalities, including XChat.