Latest news with #Bitchat
Engadget
2 days ago
- Business
- Engadget
Jack Dorsey backs an open-source development collective with $10 million
Jack Dorsey has been back in the news lately after unveiling a pair of new apps he worked on, Bluetooth-based messenager Bitchat and UV exposure tracker Sun Day . The Block CEO put those together under the auspices of a new development collective called "and Other Stuff," a nonprofit that he is backing with a $10 million cash injection through his StartSmall foundation , as TechCrunch reports. The group plans to work on open-source projects, including ones that could become consumer social media apps, along with app-development tools. The developers met on Nostr, a social networking protocol Dorsey has also backed financially. The "and Other Stuff" collective aims to support Nostr's "transition from an experimental protocol to a widely adopted, sustainable ecosystem through collaborative growth and funding." In addition to Nostr projects, the collaborators plan to experiment with building tools based on the likes of ActivityPub — which powers Mastodon — and Cashu. That e-cash platform's creator, dubbed Calle, is part of the "and other Stuff" team alongside Twitter's first employee, Evan Henshaw-Plath. The projects that "and Other Stuff" has worked on so far include voice note app heynow, a private messenger app called White Noise and social community +chorus. They have also created Shakespeare, which is designed to help developers build Nostr-based social apps with AI. Dorsey has long fostered an interest in open-source protocols. In 2019, during his second stint as Twitter CEO, the company set up a team that was tasked with forming an open, decentralized standard for social media. Dorsey had hoped to eventually shift Twitter onto that protocol, but of course that didn't pan out. Instead, Twitter spun out that project — Bluesky — as a public benefit corporation in 2022. Last year, after leaving Bluesky's board, Dorsey claimed that the team there was "literally repeating all the mistakes" he made while running Twitter such as, uh, setting up moderation tools (which are, in reality, a critically important aspect of any successful social platform). On an episode of Henshaw-Plath's new podcast , Dorsey reiterated a point he had made previously, that Twitter was beholden to advertisers (an issue that X is contending with under Elon Musk's ownership ). "It's hard for something like [Twitter] to be a company, because you have corporate incentives when it wants to be a protocol," Dorsey said. "If [Twitter] were an open protocol, if it were truly an open project, you could build a business on top of it, and you could build a very healthy business on top of it." He was also once again critical of Bluesky's structure, adding that, "I want to push the energy in a different direction... which is more like Bitcoin, which is completely open and not owned by anyone from a protocol layer. That's what I see in Nostr as well. That's where I want to push my energy... rather into the more corporate direction, even if it is a public benefit corporation."
Fox News
3 days ago
- Fox News
No signal? No problem. This app lets you chat anyway
Few things frustrate internet users more than losing connection, being watched online or dealing with censorship. If you've ever had spotty service or worried about who might be reading your messages, you're not alone. Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter (now X), is developing a new instant messaging app called Bitchat that lets you communicate without needing an internet connection. Bitchat uses a decentralized mesh network to link people directly. This setup removes the need for central servers and makes it possible to send secure messages even when you're offline. It's a fresh take on messaging privacy, and here's how it works. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide - free when you join my Bitchat works by using Bluetooth to send messages to nearby devices. It's designed like old-school chat rooms, where people can message each other directly or go into topic-based chat rooms with private conversations that are intended to be encrypted. Messages can travel up to 984 feet in ideal conditions when messaging directly, or hop device-to-device through other Bitchat-enabled phones to reach their destination in less connected zones. In a nutshell, Bitchat provides internet- and server-free communication, messages that are intended to disappear by default, no requirement for user IDs (email or phone number), and password-protected chat rooms. Furthermore, it doesn't collect personal data, and the technology it's built on is intended to work across different devices and platforms, although it's currently only available on iOS via TestFlight. Bitchat is a strong step toward privacy-first messaging, but users are cautioned not to rely on it for sensitive communications at this early stage. Bitchat tackles several pressing challenges of the digital age. For instance, those with limited access to the internet will find it useful during network outages or in areas with poor connectivity. People will also be able to use it in regions with a lot of data restrictions due to government sanctions. Furthermore, it provides true digital autonomy since there's no centralized service storing your communications. What Bitchat is doing is not entirely new. Apps like FireChat and Bridgefy explored similar offline messaging approaches, and while they gained brief popularity during protests and emergencies, they struggled with security flaws and scalability. However, it's Bitchat's renewed urgency at a time when online freedom is increasingly under threat that might propel it above those that came before. Bitchat is currently in early testing via Apple's TestFlight program. Right now, it's in the experimental phase. However, Dorsey has hinted that he will add more features like Wi-Fi Direct to boost its speed and range. Also, with the technology behind Bitchat being open and decentralized, we could see it embedded into other platforms, meaning more and more people might be using it in the near future. Bitchat could spark a new era of communication. The app works offline and gives you control over your conversations. You don't have to rely on centralized systems. Bitchat lets you send messages without anyone snooping or profiting from your data. As more people use it, Bitchat could serve as a lifeline during crises. It may help those living under digital restrictions. The app could also challenge companies that ignore privacy. As digital surveillance grows, this app might become more than just a trend. It could be exactly what we need. In what scenarios do you see apps like Bitchat being useful to you? Let us know by writing us at Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide - free when you join my Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Hans India
4 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Jack Dorsey Launches Sun Day App to Track Vitamin D and Sun Exposure
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is back with another side project — this time, an app to help people track their vitamin D. After unveiling his encrypted messaging app Bitchat just last week, Dorsey has now launched Sun Day. This iOS app monitors sun exposure and vitamin D intake. Currently available through TestFlight, Sun Day's code is open-source on GitHub. The app utilises location data to display your local UV index and daylight hours. Users can log their skin type, clothing coverage, and toggle when they're in or out of the sun. The app then estimates your vitamin D levels for the day and suggests how long you can stay in direct sunlight safely. Dorsey says he's 'learning' through these weekend coding experiments, which he's building using Goose, an open-source AI coding tool. Tools like Goose are shaping up to be a hot space for tech's AI leaders — just last week, OpenAI's $3 billion attempt to buy Windsurf, another AI coding platform, fell apart after Google hired its CEO and key talent for DeepMind instead. The Twitter co-founder seems determined to keep 'vibe coding' alive — one quirky weekend app at a time.
CNET
5 days ago
- Health
- CNET
This New App Wants to Help You Track Your Sun Exposure
The founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, has a bright idea that he's released as a beta app: Sun Day, for tracking your exposure to the sun. The app is free to testers and so far contains basic information such as sunrise, sunset and the UV index in order to assess a user's potential burn limit time and, as the app description says, "track your Vitamin D from the sun." Dorsey is currently testing UI updates and a solar noon notification, according to the app notes. In the app, users can describe the type of clothing they're wearing, such as shorts and T-shirts or swimwear, and Fitzpatrick skin type, which classifies how quickly you'll burn. People tend to think about sun exposure and protections like sunscreen most during the summer, when the sun is strongest and the days are long and when they're heading to the beach or out gardening, golfing or otherwise getting in quality sun time. The iOS app asks permissions to connect to some Apple Health data when the app is installed. Dorsey announced an iOS Test Flight app, Sun Day, on Sunday, with a post on X (former Twitter). Dorsey also recently released Bitchat, a private messaging client that uses Bluetooth as its communication platform. Although it's meant to be a secure, private app, some users have flagged Bitchat for potential security flaws that are still being tested.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Jack Dorsey vibe coded another app, and this one tracks your Vitamin D
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey just released his second app in a week, and this time it's all about soaking up the sun safely. The new iOS app called Sun Day helps users track their UV exposure and estimate vitamin D levels based on location, skin type, and how much clothing they're wearing. The app works by using your phone's location to pull up the local UV index, then lets you manually toggle when you're stepping in and out of sunlight. Tell it your skin type from six options, mention whether you're rocking shorts and a t-shirt or bundled up, and Sun Day calculates how much vitamin D you're getting and how long you can stay outside before risking a burn. This follows last weekend's release of Bitchat, Dorsey's encrypted peer-to-peer messaging app that works over Bluetooth without needing internet. Both apps are part of what he calls his "learning" process through weekend coding projects, and he's building them using an open-source AI coding tool called Goose , which is developed by Dorsey's Block . The app keeps things simple. You tap a button when you go outside, tap it again when you head back in, and it gives you a rough estimate of your vitamin D gains for that session and the whole day. It also shows useful info like sunrise and sunset times, cloud cover, and your personal burn limit based on the UV index. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Tirzepatide Wins For Weight Loss - Only $119/Month FuturHealth Undo Sun Day is currently available through Apple's TestFlight beta program, with the full source code posted on GitHub for anyone who wants to dig in. There's no word yet on when it might hit the regular App Store or if an Android version is planned. But seeing how quick Dorsey shipped out Bitchat for Android, he might possibly be already working on it. For someone who sold Twitter and stepped back from the spotlight, Dorsey seems to be having fun with these quick-turnaround projects. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
