What is Digital Privacy?

An introduction to the principles of privacy that guide the development of Mercury.

In the digital age, "privacy" has become a complex and often misunderstood term. It's not about having something to
hide; it's about having control over your own information. Digital privacy is the protection of your personal data that
is created, stored, and transmitted through digital devices and networks.

The Right to Control

At its core, privacy is the right to control who can access your information, when they can access it, and what they can
do with it. When you send a message, make a call, or share a photo, you should be the one to decide who the intended
audience is.

Many modern communication platforms operate on a model where your data is the product. They collect vast amounts of
information—not just what you say, but who you talk to, when, where, and for how long. This data is used to build
detailed profiles for targeted advertising, analytics, and other purposes you may not be aware of or consent to.

The Mercury Philosophy

Project Mercury is built on a different philosophy: your data belongs to you, and only to you.

We believe that a private conversation should be just that—private. This belief guides every architectural decision we
make:

  1. No Central Data Store: We don't have servers that store your conversations or contact lists. Your data lives on
    your device and your contact's device, and nowhere else. This eliminates the risk of a central server being hacked,
    subpoenaed, or monetized.

  2. Minimal Metadata: We actively work to minimize the "data about your data" (metadata). By using peer-to-peer
    connections, we remove ourselves from the communication path once the connection is established. The signaling
    server, which helps your devices find each other, knows as little as possible and stores nothing long-term.

  3. Anonymous Identity: Your identity in Mercury is not linked to your phone number, email, or real name. It is a
    cryptographic key pair that proves you are you, without revealing who you are.

True digital privacy means building systems where trust is not required. With Mercury, you don't have to trust us not to
read your messages, because we architected the system so that we can't. That is the promise of end-to-end encryption
and a decentralized architecture.