Loki Network

Oxen, previously known as Loki Network, is a technology project focused on developing privacy-oriented tools. Founded in 2018 by Simon Harman, Kee Jeffreys, Chris McCabe, and Josh Jessop-Smith, the project originated from the founders' shared interest in privacy technology and blockchain, which brought them together at the Melbourne Blockchain Center in 2017. Chris McCabe took over as CEO from Simon Harman in November 2022, with Harman remaining on the board of the supporting Oxen Privacy Tech Foundation (OPTF).

The company's business model is centered on a decentralized, privacy-focused technology stack powered by its cryptocurrency, $OXEN. This stack forms the foundation for its products and is maintained by a network of community-operated Service Nodes. Operators stake $OXEN to run these nodes, which are essential for the network's functionality, and in return, they receive financial rewards. Revenue is also generated through the Oxen Name Service (ONS), where users burn $OXEN to purchase human-readable names for their digital identities and services on the platform, creating a recurring value stream. The project serves a global user base interested in secure and anonymous digital interactions, including journalists, activists, and everyday users concerned about data privacy.

Oxen's core product suite includes Session and Lokinet. Session is a decentralized, end-to-end encrypted messaging application that prioritizes user anonymity by minimizing metadata collection and not requiring a phone number for signup. It utilizes a network of service nodes for onion-routing messages, which obscures the sender's and receiver's identities. Initially built on the Signal protocol, Session now uses its own protocol to enhance decentralization and anonymity. In May 2025, Session transitioned from the Oxen Service Node Network to its own dedicated Session Network.

Lokinet is a low-latency onion router that enables anonymous internet browsing and access to internally-hosted services called SNApps. Unlike other onion routers that may only support TCP traffic, Lokinet operates at the network layer, allowing it to route any IP-based traffic, including real-time voice and video. It leverages the Oxen blockchain as a decentralized directory, enhancing its resistance to censorship and single points of failure. This technological infrastructure allows developers to build a new generation of privacy-centric applications and tools on the Oxen platform.

Keywords: Loki Network, Oxen, privacy network, decentralized communication, Session messenger, Lokinet, anonymous transactions, blockchain technology, $OXEN cryptocurrency, privacy tools, Service Nodes, Oxen Name Service, end-to-end encryption, metadata minimization, onion router, SNApps, Simon Harman, Kee Jefferys, Chris McCabe, Oxen Privacy Tech Foundation