Council – Encrypted Messaging

Council is a private messaging app built for people who cannot afford compromise.
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You create the encryption key, you share it on your terms, and you can destroy it when you’re done. Keys are generated on your device and are never stored in the cloud.
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Every Council space is locked with a passphrase known only to its members. Keys are derived on your device using modern key‑stretching and encryption techniques; the service never sees them or mediates their exchange. When you type your passphrase, your device performs the cryptography, and the service only relays encrypted data.
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Each device also holds a unique secret protected with post‑quantum key encapsulation, so an attacker would need both your passphrase and access to your device to read a message. Council uses quantum‑resistant building blocks (including ML‑KEM‑768, AES‑256, and SHA‑512) across key derivation, key encapsulation, and message encryption to help protect your data against future advances in computing.

When you delete a Council space, its encryption keys are securely destroyed and only encrypted data remains on the service. There are no server‑side backups of your messages.
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Council does not ask for your phone number or access to your contacts. You join spaces with a passphrase instead of a phone number, so there is no contact‑based social graph in the app.

Messages in Council are authenticated within your group but are not cryptographically bound to any specific individual outside it. There is no per‑user signing key attached to each message.

Key features:

User‑controlled encryption keys

Post‑quantum cryptography (ML‑KEM‑768) in the protocol

Secure deletion of spaces and their keys

No phone number or contact list required

Encrypted media sharing (photos, videos, GIFs, and files)

Device‑bound secrets, so a passphrase alone is not enough to decrypt

Group authentication without per‑message proof of authorship

Available on iPhone and iPad

Council Pro unlocks unlimited encrypted spaces with an annual subscription or redeemable license key.

Privacy Policy: https://councilapp.com/pp

Terms of Service: https://councilapp.com/tos
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Support: https://support.councilapp.com
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