TorChat - Definition from the Hotspot Shield Encyclopedia

TorChat is a messaging services that is used on the Tor Network and on Tor Hidden Services.

The messaging application uses instant messaging and provides a form of anonymous communication through cryptography and by using the Tor network relay. To differentiate between users, TorChat assigns every user a 16 digit ID which is randomly generated when the messaging client is started. Users on TorChat will communicated through the Tor hidden service and not directly with each other through a direct connection - This maintains the anonymity. The messaging service was created in 2007 and is written in the Python coding language - it is available on many different operating systems.