Messaging the operator can’t read.

owned is a mobile-only, end-to-end encrypted messenger for sensitive personal communication between people who already know each other in real life.

  • Post-quantum hybrid
  • Forward-secret
  • Metadata-blind
  • Tor-only
  • No accounts
01

What it is

Two phones, an opaque relay between them, no plaintext anywhere off-device. You add a contact by scanning their QR in person — that’s the only step where you decide who to trust.

The relay only sees a per-install routing token and a padded envelope of a fixed size bucket. It does not know who you are, who you talk to, or what you say.

02

Security properties

End-to-end encrypted

Only the two endpoints can read content. No server, ISP, or relay operator can.

Forward secrecy

Compromise of long-term keys does not compromise past messages.

Post-compromise security

A future compromise heals — messages sent after recovery are protected again.

Post-quantum hybrid

Handshake and ratchet combine classical X25519 with ML-KEM. Recorded ciphertext can’t be decrypted by a future quantum computer.

Sealed sender

The relay sees only a per-install token and a size-bucket — not the sender, recipient handle, or content.

Metadata minimisation

No directory linking handles to anything. No long-term registry of identities, recipient tokens, or device tokens.

Hardware-backed keys

Identity secrets are wrapped under the Secure Enclave and require Face ID / Touch ID to unwrap.

Per-bucket padding

Every wire envelope is padded to one of a small fixed set of size buckets — a network observer learns nothing from length.

Mnemonic root of trust

A 24-word recovery phrase you transcribe is the only path back to your identity. No escrow, no operator-mediated recovery.

Single active device

One identity, one device. Device migration is a sequential, end-to-end-encrypted handoff between your phones.

Biometric on every open

Face ID / Touch ID is required every time you open the app. A five-second grace from backgrounding allows silent re-entry; cold start always prompts.

Tor by default

The iOS app speaks to the relay over a hidden service via embedded Tor. Your IP never reaches the operator.

03

Roadmap

Headlines only — later milestones layer features on top without weakening V1’s security model.

  1. V1 in development

    1:1 text messaging. Base function.

  2. V2

    Share profile (display name + picture) with verified contacts.

  3. V3

    Photo and voice messages on the existing 1:1 channel.

  4. V3.5

    In-app gallery with albums for sent and received photos.

  5. V3.7

    Support-the-project in-app payment.

  6. V4

    Group chats up to 20 members.

  7. V5

    Video messages.

  8. V6

    Opt-in encrypted cloud backup. Sealed on-device under a mnemonic-derived key; the cloud provider is a zero-knowledge blob host.

04

Public relay stats

Aggregate request counts only — no recipient, sender, or per-request-kind data is exposed publicly.

Messages last 30 days
Bytes in last 30 days
Bytes out last 30 days
Per-day breakdown
daterequestsbytes inbytes out