Kirill Abramov

Kirill Abramov's personal blog

Founder & CEO, UmbrellaX TOO

This is where I write about end-to-end encryption, post-quantum cryptography, jurisdictional risk, and the design decisions behind UmbrellaX. Personal opinions, not press releases.

More about me

Blog

Essays, analysis and forecasts on private messaging, encryption, surveillance and the future of digital freedom, by Kirill Abramov.
Abstract red network with black and white nodes connected by clean geometric lines.
Private messaging

UmbrellaX vs SimpleX: private messaging, no identifiers, and usable scale

SimpleX is radical about no identifiers. UmbrellaX is stronger as a default private messenger for groups, recovery, speed, jurisdiction, and normal use.

May 18 comparison 10 min New
Hand holding a dark smartphone at night, with warm lights in the background.
Private messaging

UmbrellaX vs WhatsApp: private messaging without Meta or phone number identity

UmbrellaX is stronger than WhatsApp for private messaging when Meta ownership, phone number identity, metadata, backups, and jurisdiction matter.

May 18 comparison 10 min New
Abstract blueprint of two cryptographic structures, a chained ratchet on the left and a balanced binary tree on the right, in red and gold on a dark navy background.
Encryption

Signal Protocol vs MLS: the bytes on the wire, the trade offs that matter

Signal Protocol and MLS (RFC 9420) both deliver end to end encryption. They diverge on groups, post quantum, and adoption surface. A builder's comparison from someone who picked MLS.

May 10 analysis 17 min New
Abstract blueprint of two network topologies, a centralised red hub and spoke pattern and a distributed gold mesh, facing each other on a dark navy background.
Private messaging

UmbrellaX vs Session: two answers to the no phone number question

UmbrellaX and Session both refuse phone number identity. Session went random Account IDs, onion routing, decentralised. UmbrellaX went MLS, post quantum, Kazakhstan. Five axes compared honestly.

May 10 comparison 17 min New
European parliamentary architecture, ornate stone facade with spires and a dome.
Regulation

Forecast: will EU Chat Control pass by end of 2027?

UmbrellaX forecast on CSAR. Current probability 30%. Rationale, factors that would move it up or down, resolution criteria, and revision schedule.

May 1 forecast 10 min New
European flags arrayed in front of the Victoria Tower, Palace of Westminster.
Regulation

EU Chat Control explained: the bill, the votes, and why E2EE cannot survive it

What the EU Chat Control regulation actually says, the voting timeline through April 2026, and why mandatory client side scanning is mathematically incompatible with end to end encryption.

Apr 30 analysis 11 min New
Abstract cipher glyphs on a black background, evoking encrypted text.
Encryption

End to end encryption explained: what it is, what it is not, and how UmbrellaX implements it

A byte level explainer of end to end encryption. What E2EE protects, what it does not, which protocols matter in 2026, and how UmbrellaX uses MLS plus post quantum hardening.

Apr 29 pillar 14 min New
Abstract red network graph with interconnected nodes on a black background, evoking cryptographic protocol structure.
Private messaging

UmbrellaX vs Signal: honest comparison by the founder of UmbrellaX

UmbrellaX outperforms Signal on groups, jurisdiction, phone number independence, and scale. Signal has a longer legacy record, but UmbrellaX is stronger for my threat model.

Apr 28 comparison 14 min New
Abstract black and white grid of cipher glyphs evoking encoded message structure.
Private messaging

UmbrellaX vs Telegram: encryption by default, jurisdiction, and private messaging

UmbrellaX encrypts every chat end to end by default; Telegram does not. UmbrellaX runs from Kazakhstan, Telegram from the UAE after a French arrest. Concrete comparison by the founder of UmbrellaX.

Apr 28 comparison 12 min New