# Messaging Joint is an interactive exchange protocol that organizes users and manages their interactions towards a successful trade. To complete an interactive trade, the counterparts often communicate through a messaging system. Their communication involves sharing payment information, payment status, and issues surrounding the trade. ## Messaging on Centralized Exchanges Centralized peer-to-peer exchanges offer an insecure messaging service. Users’ messages are stored unencrypted and can be read by employees, exchange partners and other third parties or hackers if there is a breach. ## Messaging on Joint Protocol Joint Dapp includes a private messaging protocol built on [xmtp](https://xmtp.org/) to allow users to send encrypted messages to each other. With Joint's messaging system based on xmtp, a user's messages can only be read by the intended receiver and no one else. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.joint.exchange/concepts/messaging.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.