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E2EE Ecosystem

1. Introduction: End-to-End Encrypted Communication

The Obside E2EE Ecosystem enables users to communicate securely and privately over an end-to-end encrypted channel. Connection setup is coordinated through Obside's relay infrastructure, but message, file, and call contents can only be decrypted at the endpoints. Encryption keys never leave the user's devices, so no intermediary — including the relay server — can read the content.

2. Core Capabilities: Text Chat & File Transfer

All data flow between participants is carried over an end-to-end encrypted channel:

  • Encrypted Text Chat: Instant messaging encrypted with ECDH key exchange and a group sender-key, so the relay cannot see message content. Messages are padded to make size analysis harder.
  • Encrypted File Transfer: Files are delivered directly to the recipient, end-to-end encrypted, without being uploaded to third-party cloud servers. For Obside Premium subscribers, no file size restrictions apply to these transfers.
  • Audio, Video and Screen Sharing: End-to-end encrypted audio/video streaming and screen sharing over the browser's native WebRTC infrastructure. Connections are established relay-only (TURN), so parties do not see each other's IP address. Obside Premium subscribers gain access to higher quality audio and video channels.
  • File Transfer with Metadata: Metadata such as file name, size, and data type is carried inside the encrypted packet alongside the binary payload, and is likewise decrypted only at the receiving end.
  • Request/Response (RPC) Support: Facilitates asynchronous query-and-response mechanisms between participants for connection state checks, version verification, and synchronization.
  • Metadata Minimization: The relay server only forwards encrypted packets; it does not store or read message content. Because content is end-to-end encrypted, the transport layer holds only the minimum information needed for routing.

3. Signaling and Identity Layer

Obside's signaling relay lets participants discover each other and set up a secure channel. Identity security relies on a server-signed attestation mechanism:

  • Signaling (Obside Relay): During room setup, browsers communicate through Obside's relay server to establish the end-to-end encrypted channel. The room code and encryption keys are never exposed to the relay.
  • Account-Bound Identity (Attestation): A participant's account is bound to their session through a server-signed attestation; because this attestation is produced only with a key held on the server, it cannot be forged on the client side. End-to-end peer authentication (mutual verification via a safety number) is on our roadmap.

4. Vision

The Obside E2EE Ecosystem aims to provide a communication layer where privacy is the default. Our goal is to continually strengthen an architecture in which content is readable only by the conversing parties, while the transport infrastructure has no access to content or metadata.