A chat room is simply a Tor hidden service that allow users to connect and relay messages to all other connected users.  They can be easily created and hosted by any DarkMX user within seconds.



First, make sure you are connected to at least one network.  Then, in the chat view, click the Add button in the upper-left corner, and select Gather from the drop-down menu.



All connected networks will be asked for a list of known chat rooms, which will be added to your own list.

You can also add a private chat room that is not advertised on the networks by using a URL.  Click the Add button and select Open Link, or simply type Ctrl-V to paste a link from the clipboard.



It is very easy to host your own chat room.  Click the Add button, and select Create from the drop-down menu.



There are many ways to customize your own chat room.  Click the Settings button in the lower-right corner of the chat view, and look at the Admin options available from the popup menu.



Information - This allows you to customize the Channel Information, which is shown when the user clicks the Information button in the lower-right corner of the chat view.  It is also shown in the web-based view of your chat room, if it has been enabled.

Users - Here you can view all online and offline users of your chat room.  You can change levels, remove, or do many other things like browse or send a message.

Config - The configuration is held in a free-form text format.  You can change the chat room name, topic, and many other aspects of operation.  It is possible to set the default user level to silent, so you can have a moderated chat room if you desire.



It is very easy to allow users of the Tor Browser to access your chat room via its .onion web link.  All that you need to do is go to the chat room Config, and make sure allow_web_access=1 is somewhere within.

You can then click the chat room link button in the lower-right corner of the chat view, and select from the popup menu Copy Web Link, or View Web QR Code.

Javascript needs to be enabled in the browser.  Chat rooms works well on mobile phones with the Tor Browser installed, and using QR codes it is very easy to access this way.



Once the Tor Browser is open, you can tap the address bar, and then the keyboard and the scan button will be visible.  Tap the scan button, and point it at the QR code.



Once the QR code is automatically recognized, you will be prompted for permission to visit the URL.  Click to allow, and then the chat room will open.  You may need to enable javascript for the page if your Tor browser was setup with the strictest security settings.