Your messages are end-to-end encrypted on your device and stored in encrypted form on the server. To ensure non-persistence, messages are automatically redacted after 12 hours, with a cleanup process running every 30 minutes to remove expired content. All remaining server data is purged every 24 hours via hourly retention sweeps.

Because the system is end-to-end encrypted, we purge all backup keys and server data, and enforce mandatory weekly logouts, data recovery is not possible.

No. The keys are on your device. Architecturally? The system doesn't allow it. There's no logging layer, no backup system, no admin access to plaintext. We can't hand over what doesn't exist. Matrix E2E encryption is well documented.

Furthermore; the 12 hour redaction, 1 day retention, weekly logouts and key cleanup wiped the records.

Matrix E2E encryption documents

This server is configured for high-privacy, non-persistent communication. To ensure that no permanent record of conversations exists, the system automatically deletes messages and the keys required to unlock them after a short period.

Once the automatic cleanup occurs and your session is reset (logout), the data is permanently erased from both the server and your device. This is a privacy feature, there are no backups to restore from, this is intentional.

A key cleanup process is used to maintain a zero-recovery state. This process runs every 30 minutes to delete all E2EE room-key backups, historical key versions, and Secret Storage account data, removing the server's ability to store or facilitate the recovery of decryption keys.

Because device caches can inadvertently leak metadata or session states, we implement mandatory weekly logouts to ensure local data is cleared. While this may be a minor inconvenience, it is a fundamental part of our commitment to absolute privacy, and it is what sets us apart.

Two weeks, full refund, same coin. No friction.

Transparent on-chain transactions defeat the purpose. Monero, Zcash and ZANO have built-in privacy.

Please use the payment link on the pricing page.

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You can contact support once logged in. Or via the SimpleX ID if you're not yet a user.

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Please use the payment link on the pricing page, or contact support.

Enjoy a two-week trial of our service after payment. If you are not completely satisfied, we offer a full refund, no questions asked.

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Think of the Clear Web as a secure armored truck. Your data is encrypted while traveling to our entry point, and then it is placed inside a second, private encrypted tunnel to reach the server. It’s fast and extremely secure.

Tor is more like a secret underground passage. It bounces your connection through several different locations to hide your identity (your IP address) before reaching the server. It provides the highest level of anonymity, but because the path is so complex, it is slower.

Both paths are fully end-to-end encrypted, and we do not track IP addresses.

This is expected behavior. Tor can occasionally experience slower speeds; if this occurs, you can switch to the clear web option for a faster connection.

Technically yes, although it is not as reliable as it is on Android. The clear web connection remains highly secure and encrypted, and we do not track IP addresses. We recommend using the clear web option on iOS.

For an additional layer of protection, we recommend using a VPN on your router for failover.

Ephemere has been fully tested with Cinny for desktop and Fluffy Chat for Android and iOS. While other clients should function similarly, they have not been extensively verified on this server.

Fluffy Chat doesn’t currently support calling, so we haven’t tested that yet.

If you’re interested, we use our own dedicated TURN server with SimpleX to handle call connectivity, separate from the Ephemere server. This means the call relay is under our control rather than SimpleX’s, while the call itself remains end-to-end encrypted, so the relay can’t access the content.

Contact support to learn more.

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Weekly logouts can be deactivated on request (not in the trial window), although we don't recommend it. Retention and redaction are core architectures they're not toggles.

You/we cannot recover your messages.

1. Messages are redacted after 12 hours, and server side metadata associated with the social graph is purged after approximately 1 day. The 1 day retention window is intentionally short and aligned with the redaction schedule, once the 12hr window has passed, the message is no longer recoverable, and any related data is removed by 24hrs.
We also enforce automatic weekly device logouts to reduce client side session persistence and limit residual local metadata. In addition, we maintain a live Technical Verification panel on our website that provides real time status of the redaction process. It can be manually verified by any user and is continuously monitored. If the server becomes unavailable or redaction processing fails, this will be detectable through stale receipts.

2. Most Matrix servers operate in a federated model, where data is shared across servers according to federation rules and local retention policies. Tor onion service deployments are niche. Ephemere is a NON-federated Hardened Tor and clearweb server (two options - both highly secure) and is explicitly designed as an ephemeral messaging environment, which is the basis of its name, which essentially means temporary state.
Matrix does not natively provide automatic redaction across the system, so we use a purpose built script to enforce redaction in a deterministic and automated way. We do not rely on bots, which can introduce reliability, latency, and client side intrusion concerns. To our knowledge, this approach is not widely deployed across servers.

The result is a materially different operational model, built for users who need communication without persistent record retention. This includes disabled backups and non recoverable message data.

Contact Support to Learn more