Redefining Privacy in Communication with Backing from Village Global

It is noteworthy to mention that Bill Gates, a distinguished co-founder of Microsoft and a philanthropist with extensive impact on global health and education initiatives, serves as a limited partner in various investment vehicles associated with Village Global. However, it is critical to delineate the nuances of this relationship, as Gates' status as a limited partner does not confer upon him any authoritative control or decision-making power regarding the operational protocols or strategic direction of SimpleX Chat.

The development team behind SimpleX Chat has made a concerted effort to clarify that Village Global's involvement is strictly financial in nature, devoid of any operational oversight or influence over the management and technical development of the project.

Privacy Without Compromise

SimpleX Chat aims to provide a messenger that is both convenient and private, addressing the perceived trade-off between these two qualities in existing solutions. They define privacy as protecting not only message content but also metadata like connection details and user identities.

In contrast to a multitude of contemporary messaging applications, SimpleX Chat distinctly emphasizes the safeguarding of metadata privacy as a foundational component of its architecture.

The development team articulates a compelling argument regarding the intrinsic value of communication relationships, suggesting that the identification of interlocutors constitutes sensitive data that may be weaponized against users in various contexts—an issue that current market leaders in the domain have failed to remedy with sufficient rigor.

Consequently, the developers are actively engaged in initiatives to bolster the obfuscation of users’ IP addresses, thereby enhancing the overall security framework against potential surveillance and data exploitation threats.

A Radical Architectural Shift

The architecture underpinning SimpleX Chat diverges notably from conventional paradigms associated with user account management.

Specifically, it eschews the creation and maintenance of user profiles in the traditional sense, thereby negating the repository of personally identifiable information on centralized servers. Instead, all pertinent data transactions pertinent to user interactions are localized, existing solely on the end-user's devices.

This paradigm shift engenders a formidable barrier to data accessibility, effectively neutralizing the potential for data disclosure to law enforcement agencies, irrespective of judicial mandates such as court warrants.

Furthermore, in their adherence to statutory obligations, SimpleX Chat's design ethos proactively prioritizes the minimization of data collection, establishing a privacy-centric framework that aptly aligns with contemporary concerns regarding data sovereignty and user anonymity.

Functionality Grounded in Security

The SimpleX Chat application exemplifies a multi-device compatibility framework, strategically prioritizing stringent security protocols over user convenience.

This methodology distinctly contrasts with that of various competitors who may opt for convenience-focused functionalities that inadvertently jeopardize user data integrity and confidentiality.

The current technical architecture facilitates seamless profile transfers across devices, while also enabling a desktop terminal interface that remains operationally tethered to the mobile device.

Such an arrangement underscores SimpleX Chat's commitment to balancing usability with robust security measures, effectively mitigating potential vulnerabilities in cross-platform interactions.

Transient Messaging and Signal Protocol Reimagined

SimpleX Chat integrates the functionality of transient messaging, which serves primarily as a user convenience element rather than representing a robust security mechanism.

The developers have explicitly articulated that they are unable to ensure the irreversible deletion of messages from the recipient's device, thereby highlighting potential vulnerabilities associated with data retention and privacy concerns in digital communications.

The development team arrived at a strategic decision to forgo the utilization of the existing Signal codebase, primarily attributed to its inherent complexity and the prospective risks associated with the coupling dynamics that could emerge between the Signal protocol and its corresponding system architecture.

As a result, they opted to engineer the Signal protocol anew, commencing from foundational coding principles.

This approach not only enables them to exert comprehensive control over the implementation but also significantly facilitates the seamless integration of advanced cryptographic frameworks, specifically post-quantum key agreement methodologies, which are imperative in future-proofing cryptographic communications against the advent of quantum computing threats.

UX Development and the Road Ahead

The UI is still under development. The developers acknowledge some usability challenges, especially for users unfamiliar with the concept of profile-based messaging without traditional accounts.

They are actively working on improving UX based on user feedback.

A Decentralized Economic Model

SimpleX Chat is poised to introduce an innovative commercial framework predicated on the integration of a decentralized accounting mechanism, characterized by the utilization of distributed ledger technology, which underpins cryptocurrency transactions, coupled with a system reminiscent of traditional gift card paradigms.

This commercial model is strategically designed to provide economic incentives to both infrastructure operators, who maintain the necessary backbone for the network's operations, and software vendors, who contribute essential applications and services—all while preserving the fundamental decentralized architecture inherent to blockchain systems.

This careful balance is crucial for fostering a sustainable ecosystem that rewards participants without compromising the network's core principles of transparency and egalitarian access.

🚧 Prerequisites

🧱 Step 1: Build SimpleX on Build Machine

You’ll compile the binaries on your high-RAM machine and then SCP them over.

sudo apt update && sudo apt install build-essential git rustc cargo pkg-config libssl-dev
    
    # Clone repo
    git clone https://github.com/simplex-chat/simplexmq
    cd simplexmq
    
    # Build binaries
    cargo build --release
    

You’ll find:

• target/release/smp-server
• target/release/xfp-server

Copy them to your VPS:

scp target/release/smp-server user@vps:/home/user/
    scp target/release/xfp-server user@vps:/home/user/
    

🧑‍💻 Step 2: Harden the VPS

🔒 SSH-only access

# Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config
    PermitRootLogin no
    PasswordAuthentication no
    

Restart SSH:

sudo systemctl restart ssh
    

🔥 UFW Firewall

sudo apt install ufw
    sudo ufw default deny incoming
    sudo ufw default allow outgoing
    sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
    sudo ufw enable
    

🛡️ Fail2ban

sudo apt install fail2ban
    sudo systemctl enable --now fail2ban
    

📡 Step 3: SMP Server Setup

Create user and directories:

sudo useradd -m -r -s /usr/sbin/nologin smp
    sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/smp /var/log/smp
    sudo chown -R smp:smp /var/lib/smp /var/log/smp
    

Move binary and set permissions:

sudo mv /home/user/smp-server /usr/local/bin/
    sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/smp-server
    

Create systemd service:

/etc/systemd/system/smp.service

[Unit]
    Description=SimpleX SMP Server
    After=network.target
    
    [Service]
    User=smp
    ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/smp-server --fqdn smp.yourdomain.com --log /var/log/smp/smp.log
    WorkingDirectory=/var/lib/smp
    Restart=on-failure
    
    [Install]
    WantedBy=multi-user.target
    

sudo systemctl daemon-reexec
    sudo systemctl enable --now smp.service
    

🗂️ Step 4: XFP Server Setup

sudo useradd -m -r -s /usr/sbin/nologin xfp
    sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/xfp /var/log/xfp
    sudo chown -R xfp:xfp /var/lib/xfp /var/log/xfp
    sudo mv /home/user/xfp-server /usr/local/bin/
    sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/xfp-server
    

Create systemd service:

/etc/systemd/system/xfp.service

[Unit]
    Description=SimpleX XFP Server
    After=network.target
    
    [Service]
    User=xfp
    ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/xfp-server --storage /var/lib/xfp --log /var/log/xfp/xfp.log --quota 2GB
    WorkingDirectory=/var/lib/xfp
    Restart=on-failure
    
    [Install]
    WantedBy=multi-user.target
    

sudo systemctl daemon-reexec
    sudo systemctl enable --now xfp.service
    

🎙️ Step 5: Optional TURN Server (WebRTC)

Install Coturn:

sudo apt install coturn
    

Edit /etc/turnserver.conf:

listening-port=5349
    tls-listening-port=5349
    fingerprint
    lt-cred-mech
    realm=turn.yourdomain.com
    user=someuser:somepassword
    cert=/etc/letsencrypt/live/turn.yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem
    pkey=/etc/letsencrypt/live/turn.yourdomain.com/privkey.pem
    cipher-list="ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384"
    no-stdout-log
    

Set to auto-start:

sudo systemctl enable coturn
    

Configure DNS and firewall to allow 5349.

🔁 Step 6: Certificate Renewal (Let's Encrypt)

sudo apt install certbot
    

Set up renewal cron:

sudo crontab -e
    

0 3 * * * certbot renew --quiet && systemctl restart coturn
    

🧪 Step 7: Testing with SimpleX Desktop

1. Download SimpleX Desktop
2. Launch and go to Settings → Relay Settings
3. Disable defaults, add your SMP and XFP addresses.

🔄 Upgrading SimpleX

On your build machine:

git pull origin main
    cargo build --release
    

Then:

scp target/release/smp-server user@vps:/home/user/
    scp target/release/xfp-server user@vps:/home/user/
    

On VPS:

sudo systemctl stop smp xfp
    sudo mv /home/user/smp-server /usr/local/bin/
    sudo mv /home/user/xfp-server /usr/local/bin/
    sudo systemctl start smp xfp
    

What if you communicated securely?

📡 SimpleX – Anonymous chat, no phone numbers, no metadata

SimpleX is unlike anything else. It doesn’t just encrypt your messages—it hides who you're talking to. No central servers, no profiles, no traces. Just pure private messaging.
Perfect for when you need total metadata privacy and no digital fingerprint.

🌱 Nostr DMs – Messages with your Web of Trust

If you’re already on Nostr, using DMs is a natural step. Messages are encrypted end-to-end and tied to your public key identity.
Great for building trusted, decentralized communication channels within your Web of Trust.

🔐 PGP Email – Old-school but rock solid

PGP lets you encrypt your emails and verify identities with public keys. It’s still one of the most powerful tools for asynchronous, verifiable, and encrypted communication—especially for long-form or professional exchanges.

🔁 Use them all together

Different tools for different roles. Want to talk anonymously? Use SimpleX.
Connecting with your Nostr tribe? Slide into those DMs.
Need to send a secure file or message over email? PGP's got your back.

Privacy isn’t just one app—it’s a toolkit. Build yours.