White Noise

Decentralized Application

A secure, private, identity-free messenger built on Nostr and the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol via the Marmot Protocol. Provides E2EE group and direct messaging with forward secrecy and post-compromise security — protecting both message content and metadata. No phone numbers or email required; users choose anonymity, pseudonymity, or real name. Built as a non-profit, community-driven project funded by OpenSats, HRF, and AOS. Available for download with cross-platform support.

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Details

License Open source (MIT/Apache likely); https://github.com/marmot-protocol/whitenoise-rs
Dev Status 🔬 Beta
Dev Status Detail Released / Beta (download available at whitenoise.chat; Flutter/Rust cross-platform build; archived original Flutter app; active Rust crate development)
Owner Parres / Marmot Protocol org (marmot-protocol GitHub org); non-profit community-driven; https://github.com/marmot-protocol/whitenoise-rs
Governing Body None (non-profit community-driven development under the Marmot Protocol organization; no formal governance documented)
Country USA (AOS collective affiliation)
Start Year 2024
Stack Rust (whitenoise-rs core library); Flutter (mobile/desktop frontend); MLS via OpenMLS (cryptographic engine); Nostr (transport and identity)
Funding OpenSats, Human Rights Foundation (HRF), AOS Foundry
Funding - List
  • Human Rights Foundation
  • Internet Privacy Foundation
  • OpenSats
Last Investigated Jul 1, 2026

Topology view

This tool in the centre and the things it is directly related to. Each line names the kind of relationship.

Topology view: White NoiseThis tool in the centre and the things it is directly related to. Each line names the kind of relationship.White NoiseMarmot Protocol (Basis for, Built on)MarmotProtocolMLS (Messaging Layer Security) (Built on)MLS(Messaging L…Nostr (Built on, Speaks protocol, Stores in)NostrHuman Rights Foundation (Funded by)Human RightsFoundationInternet Privacy Foundation (Funded by)InternetPrivacy Foun…OpenSats (Funded by)OpenSats
  • Marmot Protocol (Tool): Basis for, Built on
  • MLS (Messaging Layer Security) (Tool): Built on
  • Nostr (Tool): Built on, Speaks protocol, Stores in
  • Human Rights Foundation (Organization): Funded by
  • Internet Privacy Foundation (Organization): Funded by
  • OpenSats (Organization): Funded by

Open in Graph Explorer

Use Case Domains

Co-Creation & Knowledge

Affordances

End-to-end encrypted

Decentralized Application Attributes

Origins Privacy / Secure messaging (motivated by limitations of existing messengers — Signal is centralized infrastructure-dependent; NIP-04/17 lack forward secrecy and group messaging; Marmot/White Noise combines MLS cryptographic rigor with Nostr decentralization)
Database Nostr relays (message routing and key package distribution); local SQLite (message state via mdk-sqlite-storage)
Query Language Nostr event subscription filters; MLS group state queries
Data Formats MLS ciphertext (RFC 9420 encrypted messages); Nostr events (NIP-compliant transport wrapper); Blossom media (encrypted media via MIP-04); key packages (MLS identity material on Nostr relays)
Collaborative Live Editing N/A
Rich Text Editing Basic (text messaging; encrypted media sharing)
Mobile Support Yes (Android, iOS — Flutter cross-platform)
Web Support Unconfirmed (web app in development per marmot-protocol/marmots-web-chat repo)
Native Apps Yes (Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows — Flutter cross-platform)
Terms Free (non-profit; no commercial pricing)
Funding - List
  • Human Rights Foundation
  • Internet Privacy Foundation
  • OpenSats
Funds Undisclosed
Based On Nostr (Fed Pro — transport and identity); MLS / RFC 9420 (cryptographic group messaging); Marmot Protocol (P2P Pro — the messaging protocol White Noise implements); Blossom (media storage)
Use Case Category Secure messaging / Privacy / Human rights
User Interface Type Chat interface (direct messages; group conversations; identity-free onboarding)
Offline Capabilities Partial (MLS group state stored locally in SQLite; relay-dependent for new messages)
Collaboration Features E2EE group and direct messaging; forward secrecy; post-compromise security; metadata protection; multi-device support
Data Portability High (Nostr keypair portable across clients; MLS key material managed locally)
Integration Ecosystem Nostr ecosystem (relay-compatible); Blossom media servers; MLS-compatible clients
Web2 Data Export No
Prosocial Coherence Very high (explicit human rights and privacy mission; identity-free; no phone/email required; censorship-resistant relay network; non-profit; HRF and OpenSats funded)
Economic Flows No (messaging only; no payments)
Governance & Decision Making No formal governance (non-profit community-driven; open source contribution model)
Media / Publishing No
Knowledge Management No
Sensemaking No
Project Management No
Communication Model Real-time / Asynchronous (E2EE direct and group chat)
Network Resilience Very high (Nostr relay diversity; no central server; MLS encryption even if relay is compromised; no single point of failure)
Discovery Mechanism Nostr social graph; relay-based; identity-free discovery
Max Participants Large groups (MLS designed for scalable group messaging; specific limit unconfirmed)
Data Sovereignty Very high (identity-free; no account required; Nostr keypair self-sovereign; local MLS key storage; metadata protected)

Relationships

How this tool connects to other tools and organizations, from relationships reviewed by the OpenHaven data steward. They describe how projects connect, not how good they are.

Built on
Funded by
  • Human Rights Foundation
  • Internet Privacy Foundation
  • OpenSats
Speaks protocol
Stores in
Basis for