- Thunderbolt of spaceship replaces your phone number by a domain – if you are take -servant
- Thunderbolt ends and end encryption and no central storage promises
- Domain names are safe, but may not be practical to everyday messages and calls
Thunderbolt, a new app developed by Domain Registrar Spaceship, aimed at changing phone number and email address with domain names for voice, video and text communication.
Promoted as a privacy-centered alternative to existing platforms, thunderbolt identity uses DNS ownership as verification. Spaceship says that this approach avoids the weaknesses of centralized databases and traditional login credentials.
Although it shares ideological similarities with a system such as WhatsApps, which translates complex data into simple, more memorable units, applies this idea on communication rather than Thunderbolt geography.
Pitch and privacy angle
Thunderbolt presents a domain as a “digital home” that can serve as a universal identifier. This concept allows users to call or send messages using domains such as “Alice.Chat” instead of phone numbers.
The company claims that domain names are more secure, naturally private and easy to remember. “A domain is a public address, but it explains nothing personal,” the company said.
Thunderbolt also promises end-to-end encryption and any central message storage, which claims to give high level privacy. Security is associated with the ownership of DNS, used to further certify the use with DNSSEC.
However, this model believes that users are navigating comfortable domain registration and DNS server settings, tasks that still find many opaque and unknown.
The claim that the platform “hack is almost impossible” also warns suspicion. While decentralized identification and DNSSEC provide strong protection, no system is immune to compromise completely.
Thunderbolt supports traditional domains, as well as handshake and ENS Domain, which provides compatibility with the third party registrar.
Nevertheless, the onboarding experience of the app is adapted to users who register the domain through spaceships, vendors raise concerns about lock-in and real commitment to decentralization.
For a device that emphasizes user control and freedom, this preference struggles with its declared goals, as users may be careful to be a funnel towards a single provider under the guise of convenience.
There is also a comprehensive question that how many people really want to manage their identity through domain infrastructure. Although it can appeal to those who already run individual websites or online portfolio, the average consumer can find it cumbersome than services working out of the box.
Thunderbolt enters a crowded market dominated on platforms such as WhatsApp, Zoom and Skype. People who want the best option for Skype can appreciate that Thunderbolt has no advertisement, uses strong encryption, and gives users more control over their identity.
However, it is not clear how well it is to find and connect with others on the app, or how easy it is to find on the app.
