NIP-704 ====== Key derivation for Encrypted Direct Messages ----------------------------------- `draft` `optional` `author:motorina0` This NIP defines a way for two clients to derive `one-use-only` keys for sending and recieving `kind:4` events. ## Motivation The content of `Direct Messages` [NIP-04](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/04.md) is encrypted, but everyone can see who is chatting with whom. This is far from ideal from a privacy perspective. This NIP describes a way to obfuscate DM communications from the "general public", it does not deal with the relay tracking of clients (for that see [NIP XXX](xxx)). ## Suggestion For the maximum of privacy the two participants of a `Direct Message` exchange SHOULD use a different public key for **each** `kind:4` event. This means that each participant has to: - build a `direct message parent key` from which it will derive keys to send and keys to receive (listen for) `kind:4` events - share this `direct message parent key` with its DM peer Each client has a `master` key (denoted with `m`). This key can be the profile `nsec...`, but it is not mandatory. ## Derive the `direct message parent key` A client must generate multiple `direct message parent keys`, one for each peer that it is communicating with. The [BIP32](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0032.mediawiki) structure to be used is: ``` m / purpose' / conin_type' / part1' / part2' / ... / part8' ``` - this NIP defines the `purpose` `25709'` (`dm` -> `0x646d` -> `25709`) for deriving `Direct Messages` related keys - nostr `coin_type'` is `1237'` (see [NIP-06](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/06.md)) - `part1' / part2' / ... / part8'` is the public key hex string (of the peer) split in 8 chunks: - the reason for splitting is that each level of the path can have a max value of 232-1 - the reason for using the peer's (`Bob`) public key is to always arive at the same value even if prio state is lost
Example For example, if Alice wants to build its dm parent key for Bob she has to:
dm//index send, receive, marketplace ## Exchange the `direct message parent key` If `Alice` wants to signal `Bob` that she is ready to use this NIP (for more privacy) she must: - build a JSON data of the form: ```json { "key": , "send_index": , "receive_index": , } ``` - publish a `Parameterized Replaceable Event` ([NIP-33](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/33.md)) having: ```json { ... "kind": 35709, "content": , "tags:" [ "d": ] } ``` > **Note** the reason for using `sha256(shared_secret)` for the `d` tag is so that outside observers do not even know that `Alice` and `Bob` have started to communicate. Any other value for the `d` tag would reveal that the message is intended for `Bob.` After both `Alice` and `Bob` have published the `kind: 35709` event, they can start to publish and listen to events using the `one-use-keys`.