A private messenger with no phone number, built-in Tor, and a decoy mode — now open for early testers. Here is what Ghost Protocol does differently from Signal and what is still coming.
A private messenger with no phone number, built-in Tor, and a decoy mode — now open for early testers.
Today we’re opening the public beta of Ghost Protocol, a privacy-first messenger we’ve been building for people who need more than an encrypted chat — they need to control what they reveal by using the app at all.
It’s live on Google Play now, and this post explains what it is, how it’s different, and — just as importantly — what it is not yet.
Beta means beta. Ghost Protocol works and is being used daily, but it is early software. An independent security audit is planned, and we intend to open-source the code. Until both are done, please treat it as a promising tool under active development — not a finished, battle-tested product.
We love Signal. Here’s what Ghost does differently.
Let’s be clear up front: Signal is the gold standard for private messaging. It’s open-source, independently audited, and trusted by millions. If Signal fits your needs, use Signal.
Ghost Protocol isn’t trying to “beat” Signal — it makes a different set of trade-offs for a specific kind of user: someone who can’t tie an account to a phone number, who may be asked to unlock their phone, and who wants their network path hidden. Here’s where we differ:
1. No phone number — ever
Signal is tied to your phone number. Ghost is not. Your identity is a 24-word key created on your device. There’s no SMS code, no contact-list upload, nothing that links “you the person” to “you the account.”
2. A decoy profile and a duress phrase
This is something mainstream messengers don’t offer. If you’re ever forced to unlock the app:
- A decoy PIN opens a separate, believable profile — while your real conversations stay sealed and out of sight.
- A duress phrase wipes your real data.
Deniability is built in, not bolted on.
3. Anonymity transport, built in
Ghost can route your traffic through Tor or I2P from inside the app — you don’t have to set up a separate tool. You choose how much anonymity you want, per your threat level.
(Honest note: Tor/I2P are selectable modes. When an anonymous circuit can’t be built, Ghost can fall back to its relay so your message still sends — and the app shows you which path each message took. We don’t pretend it’s always Tor.)
4. Operator-blind by design
Our relay is built to never store your IP address or location, for any user, in any mode. It relays sealed data it can’t read. This is a design goal we’re putting up for independent audit — we’re asking you to verify it, not just trust us.
5. Modern, post-quantum encryption
Like Signal, Ghost uses post-quantum cryptography so messages captured today can’t be decrypted by a future quantum computer. Under the hood: a hybrid ML-KEM key exchange, the Double Ratchet, and XChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption. (Signal is post-quantum too — this is us meeting the modern bar, not out-claiming them.)
We verified it — we didn’t just claim it. Before publishing this, we ran a packet capture on a test device while using Ghost over Tor. The large majority of the app’s traffic went to relays in the public Tor network — which we cross-checked against the live Tor relay list — with only a small amount of signaling touching our own relay. A voice call routed over Tor too.
The honest trade-off: routing a live call through Tor added about two seconds of latency. Real anonymity has a speed cost — we’d rather show you that than hide it.
What works in the beta today
- Encrypted 1:1 and group messaging — text, media, voice notes, disappearing and view-once messages.
- Voice and video calls, end-to-end encrypted, and able to run over the anonymity transport.
- Tor / I2P / relay transport tiers you can switch between.
- Decoy profile + duress wipe.
- No account recovery by us — your 24-word phrase is the only key. (That’s the point. Write it down.)
What’s still coming (the honest roadmap)
- Independent security audit — planned; we’d rather earn trust than assert it.
- Open-source release — planned, so anyone can verify the claims above.
- Delivery reliability tuning on aggressive battery-saver phones — some devices freeze background apps hard; we ship in-app guidance and keep improving it.
- More languages, more polish, and your feedback baked in.
Try it and tell us what breaks
That’s genuinely why we’re in beta — we want the rough edges found.
- Download: Ghost Protocol on Google Play
- Feedback / security reports: [email protected]
If you test privacy tools, try to break ours — responsibly — and tell us what you find. And if you just want a messenger that doesn’t ask for your phone number, we’d love to have you.
Ghost Protocol is built through a collaboration between CSB Group and CSB Academy. It is beta software; use your own judgment for high-risk situations until the independent audit is complete.
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