The most valuable people on the internet—founders, VCs, and security researchers—have a problem.

They are drowning in noise. Their DMs are spammed with “Hi,” “Can I pick your brain?”, and automated sales pitches. To survive, they close their DMs.

But this creates a new problem:

The Signal cannot get through.

If I find a critical vulnerability in a founder’s app, or if I have a high-value confidential offer, I have no way to reach them.
Public mentions get ignored. Emails get filtered. The front door is locked.

So, I built a secure back channel.

Introducing ZeroTrace

ZeroTrace is a digital dead-drop. It allows you to generate a secure, encrypted uplink to any Twitter/X user, locked specifically to their identity.

It’s not just a messaging app. It’s a protocol with an aggressive promise:

Property Description
Identity Locked Only the verified owner of the target handle can open it.
Zero Knowledge The server decrypts the payload once.
Burn After Reading 60 seconds after access, the data is destroyed forever.

The Interface

ZeroTrace Terminal Interface

How It Works (The Protocol)

I wanted the experience to feel less like “sending an email” and more like sliding a classified briefcase across the table.

  • Message drafted in the browser
  • Sent to Django backend
  • Encrypted via Fernet symmetric encryption
  • A unique uuid generated
  • Key stored temporarily
  • Payload locked to a specific Twitter/X ID (e.g., @ElonMusk)

2. The Handshake (Authentication)

  • Recipient receives link: zerotrace.com/msg/uuid-123
  • Sees a “Secure Data Packet Preview”
  • Must authenticate through Twitter OAuth

  • Validation step: ```python authenticated_user.id == target_user.id

    If matched → decrypt and reveal

If not → ACCESS DENIED (Red Screen of Death)

3. The Purge (Self-Destruct)

  • When message renders, is_read = True

  • A 60-second countdown starts in the browser

  • Reloading or revisiting the link = rejected forever

Layer Technology
Backend Python / Django 5
Security cryptography (Fernet)
Authentication Twitter API v2 (tweepy)
Frontend HTML5 + CSS3 (CRT Scanlines, Glitch FX, Web Audio API)
Database PostgreSQL (Prod) / SQLite (Dev)

The “Burn” Logic


@login_required
def message_view(request, tweet_uuid):
    tweet = get_object_or_404(Tweet, uuid=tweet_uuid)

    # 1. THE KILL SWITCH
    if tweet.is_read:
        return render(request, 'error.html', {'msg': 'CONNECTION TERMINATED: Data Purged.'})

    # 2. IDENTITY VERIFICATION
    if tweet.username.lower() != request.user.username.lower():
        return render(request, 'error.html', {'msg': 'ACCESS DENIED: Biometrics Mismatch.'})

    # 3. DECRYPT & BURN
    try:
        f = Fernet(tweet.key.encode())
        payload = f.decrypt(tweet.message.encrypted_text.encode()).decode()

        tweet.is_read = True  # link dies immediately
        tweet.save()

        return render(request, 'terminal.html', {'payload': payload})
    except:
        return render(request, 'error.html', {'msg': 'Decryption Error.'})

Why I Built This

We’re moving toward a walled-garden internet. As AI spam increases, high-value individuals will only build higher walls.

ZeroTrace is my attempt to build a ladder.

It forces the sender to put effort into communication — acting as a natural spam filter. If someone sends you a ZeroTrace uplink, you know it isn’t a mass-marketing blast. It’s a private, encrypted payload meant for your eyes only.