This is the development branch of Ricochet-Refresh. Things here may be unstable, in-flight, and untested. For the current release version, see the maint-3.0 branch.

Ricochet Refresh is the new updated version of Ricochet, supported by Blueprint for Free Speech. We are a non-government, not-for-profit organisation working to safeguard the freedom of expression for whistleblowers, activists, and everybody else, worldwide. To find out more, check out our profile, or head to blueprintforfreespeech.net. Blueprint was the original sponsor of Ricochet, written by developer J. Brooks.

Ricochet Refresh is currently available for Windows, macOS (10.14 or later), and Linux. Visit the releases page for the latest version and changelog.

Ricochet Refresh is an instant messenger where no one knows your identity, who you're talking to, or what you're talking about.

• You can talk to whoever you want, without them knowing your identity (or IP address)
• No one can know who you're talking to, or when you're talking to them^* (no metadata)
• You talk directly to your contact - there's no middleman server that could be compromised, putting you at risk.
• It's cross-platform, easy to install, and easy to use!
• It's open source, and open to contribution!

Please consult our usage guide:

• Usage guide

Ricochet Refresh uses the Tor network to establish a peer-to-peer connection between you and your contact. Ricochet Refresh creates a service on the Tor network which contacts can connect to. Tor's rendezvous system makes it extremely difficult for anyone to learn the identity of a Tor user, including you.

Ricochet Refresh is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, The Tor Project.

For more information about Tor, you can:

• Learn about about Tor

For more information about Ricochet Refresh, you can:

• Learn about its design
• Learn about the protocol

Security and anonymity are difficult, complicated, and deep topics. We strongly encourage you to evaluate your risks, threats, and exposure with any software. Do not rely on Ricochet Refresh for your safety. We believe Ricochet Refresh does a really good job at protecting your privacy and anonymity, however, we can not guarantee this protection.

See BUILDING for Linux, OS X, and Windows build instructions.

Bugs can be reported on the issue tracker.

You should support The Tor Project, EFF, and run a Tor relay.