Entrepreneur Kim Dotcom has released his latest product, a Skype competitor called MegaChat, TechCrunch reports.
MegaChat is a browser-based video encrypted video calling and file-sharing platform. You don’t have to install software to use it, but Chrome and Firefox extensions are available, which are supposed to boost performance and security.
Dotcom announced the product in December, declaring it would provide an alternative to Skype. It’s targeted at users who are wary of security issues. According to documents obtained by the Guardian, Microsoft, the owner of Skype, handed the US National Security Agency access to encrypted messages.
Dotcom claims “no US-based online service provider can be trusted with your data” and says Skype has no choice but to provide the US government with backdoors.
The service is launching with encrypted video chat, with video conferencing, email and tech chat to follow at a later date.
Kye began his career at a Fairfax daily on the North-West Coast of Tasmania. He has since taken his belongings, and keen interest in technology, to Melbourne. He has a bachelor of Arts majoring in Political Science from the University of Tasmania and a Graduate Diploma in Journalism from RMIT University.
