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@ Dikaios1517
2025-05-02 18:55:51
Here's the quick and dirty about DMs on Nostr:
The original DM spec is outlined in NIP-04. Messages were encrypted, so only the participants could read the DM content, but certain metadata was leaked and publicly visible, such as npubs of the sender and receiver of each message. Also, the encryption method could stand to be improved.
Then gift-wrapped DMs were introduced and outlined in NIP-17. These leaked less metadata, as now the sender's npub is no longer revealed publicly, but the receiver's npub is still publicly visible. These DMs are also built on a better encryption standard outlined in NIP-44.
Finally, the outbox method + AUTH has made it so even the npub of the receiver isn't necessarily leaked. If the user receiving DMs has set up a private inbox relay in a kind 10050 note, and that relay supports AUTH, so that only the receiver can request access to notes addressed to them, then no one else will see either who the sender is, or the receiver, except the relay operator of that DM inbox relay.
So, Nostr DMs CAN be very private. However, it is dependent on your relay setup and which client you are using for DMs. I recommend 0xChat, Coracle, or Flotilla. Amethyst is also not bad. Of the above, 0xChat seems to be the most consistent about displaying all DMs I receive, regardless of which method is being used by the sender.