<p>In this tutorial we're going to see how to setup a chat application for Anonymous use. This is especially important in a world where mass-surveillance is nearly-omnipresent. It has become the end users' responsibility to uphold their privacy and anonymity while communicating online.</p>
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<h2><b>Choosing the most appropriate chat application</b></h2>
<p>In order to choose the most appropriate messaging app for our intended use (Anonymity), we have the following requirements:</p>
<p><u>Privacy:</u></p>
<ol>
<li><p>The application must be free and open source (FOSS)</p></li>
<li><p>The application must have End to End Encryption by default (E2EE)</p></li>
<li><p>The application must allow us to run and use our own servers (Decentralisation)</p></li>
</ol>
<p><u>Anonymity:</u></p>
<ol>
<li><p>The application must support Tor .onion servers out of the box</p></li>
<li><p>The application must allow you to chat without requiring any information (no emails, no usernames, no phone numbers)</p></li>
<li><p>The application must have the ability for us to join chatrooms without revealing our identity (Incognito Mode)</p></li>
</ol>
<p><u>Deniability:</u></p>
<ol>
<li><p>The application must have disappearing messages (Deniability)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>You'd be suprised to see that as of right now (November 2024) there is only SimpleX that actually fits all of these criterias. therefore that's what we'll use for Anonymous chats.</p>
<li><p>Virtual Machine: <ahref="../hypervisorsetup/index.html">Linux</a> or <ahref="../whonixqemuvms/index.html">Whonix</a> or <ahref="../tailsqemuvm/index.html">Tails</a></p></li>
<li><p>Application: Tor (if not on Whonix or Tails), and SimpleX </p></li>
</ol>
<p>We will be going through how to set up your own SimpleX server through Tor, and how to configure your Android client to route your traffic through it.</p>
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<h2><b>How to Set Up Anonymous Chats</b></h2>
<h3><b>Step 1. Option A: GNU/Linux</b></h3>
<p>First, update your package list and install Tor by running the following commands in your terminal:</p>
<p>Open Orbot, and in the bottom-right corner, tap on <strong>More</strong>, then <strong>Settings</strong> to enter the settings.</p>
<p>In the settings menu, scroll down and enable the <strong>Power User Mode</strong>.</p>
<p>After enabling Power User Mode, go back to the More section and press <strong>Choose apps</strong> and select SimpleX in the list. Go back to <strong>Connect</strong> in the bottom navigation menu and press <strong>Connect</strong>.</p>
<h3><b>You have now successfully configured SimpleX to use Tor!</b></h3>
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<h2><b>Step 3. SimpleX Server Setup</b></h2>
<p>It's important to note that in theory, it doesn't matter which SimpleX server you connect to, as all communication is end-to-end encrypted. When you connect via Tor, it further ensures that the server itself won't be able to trace your connection back to you. Your anonymity is maintained through the use of Tor, and your conversations are protected by SimpleX's encryption.</p>
<p>HackLiberty has a great guide on how to install and configure a
<h2><b>How to Join Chatrooms in Incognito mode</b></h2>
<p>If you have received an invite to a SimpleX chatroom, you can
join it by pressing the input field at the bottom of the screen
labeled <strong>Search or paste SimpleX link</strong>.</p>
<p>Paste your invite link into the input field and press <strong>Enter</strong>.</p>
<imgsrc="Simplex12.png"class="imgRz"
alt="Joining a SimpleX chatroom">
<p>You will be met with a window asking whether you'd like to
connect using your current profile or using an Incognito profile.</p>
<p>Select <strong>Use new incognito profile</strong>. </p>
<imgsrc="Simplex13.png"class="imgRz"
alt="Selecting an incognito profile in SimpleX">
<p>This is because we don't want to reveal what our simplex username is, we just want to join the chatroom using a random username that is not tied to our identity.</p>
<imgsrc="Simplex14.png"class="imgRz"
alt="Simplex group">
<p>And there as you can see, everyone that joins in in incognito gets a random pseudonym with the format "Random Adjective Random Word" effectively helping the users maintain their anonymity while in the chat.</p>
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<h2><b>Conclusion</b></h2>
<p>By following this tutorial, you've set up a secure, anonymous
chat system using SimpleX and Tor. You've learned how to install
Orbot, configure SimpleX servers with `.onion` addresses, create
incognito chatrooms, and join them anonymously. This setup ensures
that your private conversations remain secure and untraceable.</p>
<h3><b>What You've Accomplished</b></h3>
<p>- Installed Orbot and routed traffic through the Tor network.<br>
- Configured SimpleX servers to use `.onion` addresses.<br>
- Created and joined anonymous chatrooms in incognito mode.</p>
