Ephemere Chat

Ephemeral, non-federated encrypted messaging for high-discretion use. Ephemere is an E2E-encrypted chat service on a hardened, non-federated Matrix server (Tor onion + clearweb options). "Non-federated" is the key design choice: unlike most Matrix homeservers — which sync data across the federation per each server's retention rules — Ephemere keeps everything on its own server, so your messages and social graph never leave it. It's built for people who need communication *without* a persistent record: activists, sources, high-risk groups.

The ephemerality is enforced, and shown live. Messages are auto-redacted at 12 hours (30-min sweeps), server-side social-graph metadata is purged by ~48 hours (60-min sweeps), backups are disabled, redacted messages are non-recoverable, and clients are force-logged-out weekly to limit local session residue. A purpose-built deterministic redaction script (not bots) enforces this. Crucially, there's a live Technical Verification panel on the site showing the real-time redaction schedule + next-run timer — any user can watch it, and a stalled/failed redaction shows up as stale receipts. That verifiability is a real trust plus. *(Note: the site's "Metadata Stored" checklist row is a red-X — it means that data is NOT retained.)*

Access is no-KYC. No PII; you pay a small XMR fee (also ZEC/Zano) via Trocador or a direct Monero address, with a 14-day no-questions refund. Paid tiers start at $10.

Why C. It's brand-new (no track record), a small operator, and the strong retention guarantees are — by nature — operator-stated; the live verification panel is the mitigant but it hasn't run long. Credit where due: the non-federated architecture, enforced auto-redaction, user-verifiable panel, XMR/no-PII access, and honest disclosure are all genuine. Climbs to B- on accrued tenure + a sustained, demonstrably-working panel. Legal-page surface is currently thin (a detailed FAQ, but /terms was not up at review).