Security: RookTalk compared with others
In private rooms, voice, messages and files are end-to-end encrypted, and so are private messages between friends. This page covers what that includes and the exceptions.
Comparison
| RookTalk | Discord | Telegram | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Are messages end-to-end encrypted? | Yes, in private room chats and private messages. Public channels are not covered. | No. Messages are readable on the server. | Regular chats are not end-to-end encrypted; secret chats are. |
| Are shared files end-to-end encrypted? | Yes, screenshots included. | No. | Only in secret chats. |
| Are voice and video end-to-end encrypted? | Yes, in private rooms and in video calls with a friend. | Yes, in voice channels and calls (since 2024). | Yes, in calls. |
| Does your password reach the server? | No. The sign-in key is derived on your device; the server never sees your password. | Yes, the password is sent to the server and stored there hashed. | No password: you sign in with a code sent to your phone. The optional second password is verified without reaching the server. |
| Does it require a phone number? | No. An e-mail is enough; as a guest you need no account at all. | Accounts open with an e-mail; it asks for phone verification in some cases. | Yes, required. |
| Can you use it without an account? | Yes. Type a name, open a room or join with a code. | No. | No. |
| Where is your private message key? | On your device. The encrypted backup on the server is optional and can be turned off. | Private messages are not end-to-end encrypted. | On the device for secret chats; regular chats are keyed on the server. |
| How long does the server keep chat history? | The room owner decides: none, 1, 7 or 30 days. What is kept is encrypted. | Indefinitely. | Indefinitely, in the cloud. |
| Who can enter a room? | Anyone with a valid invite code who is not blocked from the room. The owner can renew the invite link. | An invite link, kept on the server. | An invite link, kept on the server. |
| On a restricted internet connection? | Direct Connection: an option in the Windows app that sends RookTalk's traffic through an encrypted tunnel. | No tunnel option built into the app. | A proxy entered by hand in the settings. |
| Is there a voice changer? | With Premium, several voice profiles. The processing happens on your device. How it works. | No built-in voice changer. | No built-in voice changer. |
| Are there ads? | None. Revenue comes from the plans. | Sponsored Quests are shown. | Yes, in channels. |
How it works in RookTalk
- Room key. The secret key in the invite code is used to encrypt a private room's voice, messages and files. The key itself is never sent to the server.
- Sign-in. With the current sign-in method a sign-in key is derived from your password on your device. The server stores the data needed to check that key.
- Private messages: every account has a key pair on its device. Only the two friends can open a message; the server carries it and cannot read it. The safety number lets you confirm on both screens that nobody is in between.
- Camera and video calls. A camera you turn on in a private room is end-to-end encrypted with the same key as the room's voice. In a video call with a friend, video and voice are encrypted with a key derived from your two key pairs and used only for your calls. The server only relays the encrypted video and never records it.
- What the server holds: your account's e-mail, your saved room list in encrypted form, room names and encrypted chat history (for as long as the room owner chose).
- Scope of encryption. The public channels in the lobby do not use end-to-end encryption; messages there are passed on to the RookTalk team. Private rooms, private messages and video calls with a friend are end-to-end encrypted. Messages you report are shared in readable form for review.
Questions
Can RookTalk read my messages?
The content of private rooms and private messages is end-to-end encrypted. Messages in public channels and messages you report for review can be read by the RookTalk team.
What happens if I forget my password?
You can reset your password with a code sent to your e-mail. The room list and key backup protected with the old password may become unusable. A key and room records still on your device can be kept; otherwise you may need new invites and a new encryption key.
Can someone I kicked get back in?
Someone you removed can rejoin with a valid invite code. If you block them from a persistent room, they cannot join until the block is lifted. Renewing the invite link makes the old links stop working and deletes the chat history and files on the server.
Is the code open, and how is encryption done?
The code is not open. Encryption uses the standard libraries of browsers and Android; there is no encryption algorithm of our own. The details are on the technical page.