Kim Dotcom Working On Encrypted Messaging Service, Named MegaChat

Internet tycoon Kim Dotcom has announced his team at Mega is working on an encrypted messaging service, named MegaChat, to apparently kill Skype. Kim wrote on Twitter: “Mega will soon release a fully encrypted and browser based video call & chat service including high-speed file transfers. Bye bye Skype :-)”

The news comes just weeks after Kim declared bankruptcy, following the lack of revenue from Mega, his million dollar mansion and the elongated legal battle to stay in New Zealand. It looks like the bankruptcy has not stopped Mega from continuing work on a new chat service.

MegaChat will feature fully encrypted text, voice and video chat, making sure prying eyes cannot view the messages. Kim argues due to Skype being based on U.S. servers, it must hand over any files to the government when requested. However, because MegaChat servers will be based outside the U.S., there should be no way any government can infiltrate the servers or gain a warrant to take information.

There are plenty of ways for MegaChat to monetize, the question is will Mega go far enough to make it a profitable service. Mega, the cloud storage service, still lacks the necessary revenue, meaning it is running at an operating loss.

Kim Dotcom may be most well known for MegaUpload and it is doubtful he will remove that reputation from his portfolio, but Mega and MegaChat are real moves to create reputable services for personal and enterprise use.

Mega has over 10 million users, and has become one of the most popular cloud storage platforms worldwide, hopefully MegaChat will have the same ease-of-use and security.