Understanding the cryptographic machinery behind MicroChat, from simple analogies to deep protocol mechanics.
Imagine you want to send a letter to your friend, but you have to pass it through a stranger's house (our servers).
With standard messaging, you trust the stranger not to open the envelope. With MicroChat, you put the letter in a steel box that only you and your friend have keys to. The stranger passes the box along, but can never open it.
What if someone steals your key tomorrow? Can they read your messages from last year?
No. MicroChat changes the locks on the box with every single message. Once you open a message, the key used to lock it is shredded. Even if a thief steals your keys today, they can never unlock the boxes from yesterday. This is called "Forward Secrecy".