Ricochet Refresh

About

Ricochet Refresh is an open-source, peer-to-peer instant messaging app that uses Tor to connect clients. It is built on the original Ricochet software, with upgrades including improved security and compatibility with Tor Onion Services v3 instead of the older v2. When you start the app, it creates a Tor hidden service on your computer. That address is your anonymous identity on the Tor network. To chat with someone, you add their Ricochet Refresh address to your contacts, and a Tor circuit is then created between your machine and theirs.

The app is designed so that no single party sees the whole conversation. A Tor circuit passes through a series of hops between your machine, Tor nodes, and your contact's machine, and no single node knows both the origin and destination. The app states that there are no servers to trust, monitor, or hack, that none of your contacts learn your location or IP address, and that your messages are automatically secure and private. It also includes built-in secure file transfer within the app.

For macOS, Ricochet Refresh is available as a DMG image for Intel and M1/M2 Macs. To install it, mount the downloaded image and drag the app into your Applications folder, then run it from Spotlight. The project is aimed at supporting freedom of expression for whistleblowers, activists, and journalists, and its source code is available for inspection and development on GitHub.