🕶️ TorChat

Decentralized. Private. Undeniable.
TorChat is the anti-censorship chat layer for the underground internet. Secure, unstoppable, and anonymous — this is what messaging should’ve always been.

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🌐 Overview

TorChat is a fully decentralized, Tor-based messaging protocol and chat client built for total freedom of speech and association.
There are no servers, no corporate intermediaries, no identity leaks — only encrypted peer-to-peer communication over the Tor network.

• ✅ End-to-End Encryption (ECC, ECDH + ChaCha20Poly1305)
• ✅ gRPC over Onion: High-performance communication via Tor
• ✅ Offline Message Persistence via trusted forwarders
• ✅ Signed Identity Graphs for trust bootstrapping
• ✅ Federated Group Chats with on-chain moderation rules
• ✅ Forward secrecy, metadata protection, and more...

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📦 Features

Feature	Status	Description
🔐 End-to-End Encryption	✅	Uses Ed25519 keys and modern AEAD for message security
🧅 Onion Routed gRPC	✅	gRPC over SOCKS5 for strong anonymity and multiplexed streams
📬 Asynchronous Delivery	🛠️	Store-and-forward routing via trusted nodes with spam prevention
👥 Group Messaging	🛠️	Federated group identity, roles, voting, moderation
🧠 Identity Reputation Layer	🛠️	Web-of-trust over signed attestations
📜 Anti-Spam ZK Proofs	💡 Idea	Messages must include ZK token to prove identity stake or PoW
🧩 Modular Plugin System	💡 Idea	Add bots, bridges (e.g., IRC, XMPP), file sharing, media channels
💻 Cross-Platform Client	✅	Built in Dart/Flutter with native Rust crypto backend
💾 IPFS-Backed Message Vault	💡 Idea	Optionally enable message history vaulting in IPFS bundles
⚙️ Scriptable Automation	💡 Idea	Autoresponders, programmable agents, trading bots...

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🚀 Roadmap

🔹 Phase 1 – Core Protocol (MVP)

• Onion-based transport (Tor SOCKS5 support)
• Peer discovery (via embedded seed node list + gossip)
• Identity model (Ed25519 keys, signature attestations)
• Chat session establishment (ECDH, gRPC)
• Forwarding protocol for offline delivery
• Basic CLI and Flutter-based UI client
• Minimal spam prevention via time-locked messaging

🔸 Phase 2 – Social Layer

• Group chat architecture
• Group-level moderation: bans, mutes, admin rotation
• Identity trust graphs (signed attestations)
• Optional profile metadata (bio, avatar, etc.) stored off-chain

🔻 Phase 3 – Extension & Hardening

• Native emoji, file attachments, stickers
• Message expiration & disappearing chats
• Optional censorship-resistant history via IPFS
• “Stealth” mode: make node unreachable except via invite

🔺 Phase 4 – Plug-in & Monetization

• Plugin framework (Rust or Dart)
• Bot scripting: p2p trading, atomic swaps, moderation
• Integration with Monero-based payments
• Tokenless (or optional stake-based) spam control

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🛠️ Tech Stack

• Frontend: Flutter (Dart)
• Backend Protocol: gRPC over Tor (SOCKS5 proxy)
• Encryption: Ed25519, ECDH, ChaCha20Poly1305
• Persistence: Dart/Rust hybrid binary
• Decentralization: Tor hidden services, optionally dHT or gossip relay
• Identity Model: Public keys signed by other peers in attestations

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📁 Project Structure

TorChat/
├── lib/                   # Flutter/Dart client
├── proto/                 # gRPC protospecs
├── rust/                  # Rust backend (crypto, networking, etc.)
├── tor/                   # Tor bootstrapping and routing code
├── seednode/              # Optional seednode bootstrap peer (only required until network consensus is well established)
└── README.md

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🔐 Security Philosophy

TorChat is designed for real-world censorship resistance.
That means:

• Metadata-resistant communication
• No third-party servers
• Forward secrecy
• Optional multi-device support via per-device keys
• Message padding / traffic obfuscation (future)

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🌍 Vision

We want TorChat to become the base layer for p2p chat —
Something like if Briar, Session, and Monero had a privacy-focused lovechild.
No app store bans. No governments blocking traffic. No KYC. Just pure encrypted messages flying across an anonymous mesh of nodes.

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🤝 Get Involved

• Open a discussion
• Submit issues or ideas
• Contribute to the protocol spec or write plugins
• Help us build bridges to other networks

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🧠 Inspired by

• Tor Project
• Monero
• Haveno
• Session
• Nym
• Matrix
• Briar

📜 License

AGPLv3+ — because freedom is viral.