Before you start
A private conversation is easiest when you decide what you are trying to protect first. Are you avoiding exchanging a phone number? Sharing a temporary document? Moving a conversation away from a public forum? Different goals call for different controls.
Use the smallest amount of identifying information necessary to accomplish the conversation, and verify the recipient before sending anything sensitive.
Create a conversation
- Open the Chat256 application.
- Start a new private conversation.
- Allow the application to create or load the required browser identity material.
- Give the conversation a useful local description if the UI offers one.
Invite the other person
Use the invitation mechanism presented by the application, such as a private link or QR code. Send the invitation through a channel appropriate to the sensitivity of the conversation.
A QR code is convenient in person. A copied invitation is effectively a credential to access the intended conversation, so treat it accordingly.
Verify before sharing sensitive information
For ordinary coordination, a direct invitation may be enough. For high-value information, use an independent method to confirm that the person controlling the receiving device is the person you intended.
- Confirm identity using a known contact method.
- Do not rely solely on a display name.
- Never send passwords or recovery secrets into the conversation.
Send the first message
Keep the first message low-risk. Confirm that the intended recipient received it, then continue with the material appropriate to the conversation.
Use expiry deliberately
If the conversation contains temporary information, an expiry setting can reduce normal application retention. It does not prevent screenshots, copies or photographs of the screen.