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 🟢 Active
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
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
Last Investigated Jul 1, 2026

Use Case Domains

Co-Creation & Knowledge

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)
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)