The TON Foundation, developer of the Open Network (TON), recently announced the release of an on-chain encrypted messaging feature.
This development allows users of TON to send private messages to one another, ensuring enhanced privacy and security.
TON originated as a blockchain network that was forked from code initially developed by the team behind the popular Telegram instant messaging app.
Despite Telegram discontinuing its involvement with the project in July 2020 without launching a mainnet, they open-sourced TON’s code, enabling others to continue building upon it.
The TON Foundation took up the reins and built the current network, known as “TON,” emphasizing its scalability, transaction throughput, and decentralized nature compared to other options within the Web3 ecosystem.
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Previously, TON users could include messages within their transactions, but these messages were fully public.
With the introduction of the new encrypted messaging feature, users can now encrypt these messages end to end, ensuring that only the intended recipient can read them.
According to Anatoly Makosov, a core developer of TON, this feature was created to personalize transactions.
Users have long been able to include text for the recipient, such as “for coffee” or “happy birthday,” thereby enhancing the interaction.
Now, this popular feature is available with full encryption.
Additionally, Makosov highlighted the utility of encrypted messaging in scenarios where traditional messenger servers fail, referring to it as a reliable and safeguarded method of private communication.
Several retail wallet apps, including MyTonWallet, OpenMask, and TON Wallet, currently support encrypted messages.
The TON Foundation also announced that the feature will be incorporated into the mobile wallet app Tonkeeper in upcoming updates.
In efforts to foster the growth of the network, the TON Foundation launched a $25 million accelerator program in May to incentivize app developers to build on TON.
Furthermore, an independent development team introduced a Telegram trading bot in November, facilitating user onboarding to the TON network.
With the introduction of on-chain encrypted messaging, TON continues to solidify its position as a blockchain network that prioritizes privacy and security while offering a scalable and decentralized ecosystem for its users.
