Technologies

Verum Messenger: A Privacy-Driven Ecosystem With AI, Crypto Mining, and Global Connectivity

As digital privacy becomes both a global concern and a personal necessity, Verum Messenger for iOS positions itself as more than another encrypted chat app. It offers a full ecosystem built around anonymity, user control, and technological independence — including AI tools, anonymous email, built-in eSIM, secure VPN access, and even cryptocurrency mining directly inside the messenger.

In an era of surveillance, data leaks, and intrusive applications, Verum represents a shift toward user-owned digital identity.

A Messenger Designed for Complete Anonymity

Unlike platforms that require phone numbers, email addresses, or personal details to sign up, Verum Messenger removes the concept of identity tracking altogether. Registration requires no personal information.

Users receive a unique Verum ID and a Recovery Key, both stored solely on the user’s side. All encryption keys are generated locally on the device and never transmitted to servers — eliminating the risks associated with centralized storage.

Communication Built on Trust and Security

Verum’s communication tools cover all standard messenger functions but enhance them with multilayered protections that exceed current industry norms.

Key security features include:

End-to-end encrypted chats and calls
Protection against screenshots and screen recording
Alerts when someone saves or downloads media
One-tap full data wipe
Disabled message forwarding, copying, and exporting
Temporary messages with customizable timers
Support for large private communities (up to 10,000 participants)

A particularly distinctive feature is mandatory chat confirmation:

— No one can message, call, or add you without your explicit approval.
— This effectively blocks spam, fraud, unsolicited outreach, and unwanted communication at the source.

Built-In Tools Without Compromising Privacy

Verum AI

Verum integrates an intelligent chatbot — similar to GPT — directly into the messenger. Unlike typical AI tools, which rely on cloud processing tied to user identities, Verum adheres to its core privacy principle: no personal data is shared with external systems.

Verum Mail

The built-in anonymous email service enables users to send and receive messages securely. Emails can auto-delete after a chosen period, minimizing digital traces.

Verum eSIM

A built-in eSIM marketplace provides mobile internet in 150+ countries — essential for travelers, freelancers, journalists, and remote workers.

No physical SIM cards. No roaming. No long-term contracts.

Integrated VPN

A native VPN ensures encrypted and private internet connections, adding an additional layer of protection beyond messaging alone.

Crypto Mining Inside the Messenger

One of Verum Messenger’s newest and most innovative features is something no mainstream secure messenger offers: built-in cryptocurrency mining.

Users can mine:

Verum Coin, the platform’s native asset
Bitcoin, recently added to the ecosystem

Mining operates directly within the application — with no specialized hardware or external services required.

Why Verum Stands Out

Today’s digital environment forces people to juggle countless separate apps — one for a VPN, another for mobile data, a different one for AI tools, crypto management, and secure messaging. Verum Messenger brings all of these capabilities together in one platform, without ever compromising privacy or user autonomy.

Verum Messenger combines them all into a single platform without sacrificing privacy or user autonomy.

Instead of functioning as a social network, it becomes a private digital workspace — secure, anonymous, and self-contained.

Verum Messenger is available on the App Store.
Account activation is a one-time process; no subscription is required.

Official website: https://verum.im
iOS app: https://ios.verum.im
Documentation: https://docs.verum.im

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 13 #650

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Dec. 13, No. 650.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is kind of tough. Some of the answers are very long and difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: All over the place.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: What a mess!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

RUNT, TURN, RUTS, STUN, STUNT, HERD, SOUL, TROD, WHAT, DORM, STAID, HATS

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

STORMY, UNRULY, CHAOTIC, DISORDERLY, TUMULTUOUS

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is THATSWILD. To find it, start with the T that’s three letters down on the far-left row, and wind up and across.

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Toughest Strands puzzles

Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest in recent weeks.

#1: Dated slang, Jan. 21. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.

#2: Thar she blows! Jan.15. I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT.

#3: Off the hook, Jan. 9. Similar to the Jan. 15 puzzle in that it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK.

Technologies

Prime Video Hits Pause on Error-Filled AI Recaps

People reported the AI tool struggling with interpreting key scenes properly.

Amazon launched a limited beta of AI-generated Video Recaps for selected in-house Prime Video shows last month — titles like Fallout, Jack Ryan, The Rig, Upload and Bosch. But now the feature has made a generative AI about-face, with reports of it being removed from the app after fans found errors in the Fallout recap and posted about them online.

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The Video Recaps feature stitches together video clips, audio effects, snippets of dialog, music and an AI-generated voiceover narration. According to Amazon, it «analyzes a season’s key plot points and character arcs to deeply understand the most pivotal moments that will resonate with viewers as they enter the next season.»

But as reported earlier by GamesRadar, a viewer recently posted in the r/Fallout subreddit that the season one recap incorrectly dated Cooper Howard’s flashbacks to 1950 when they were actually set in 2077.

«‘Cooper offers Lucy a choice in the finale: die, or join him’ phrased as if he’d be the one to kill her,» another viewer posted on X, describing one of the other AI errors in the recap.

Several outlets then noted that the recap option in the app seems to have disappeared. CNET Senior Editor Corinne Reichert’s app still displays the recap option, but nothing happens when it’s clicked.

As someone with a terrible memory, I would really, really like these types of features to work. Hope springs eternal, I guess.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Dec. 13

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 13.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s so long, it’s almost not a mini version today. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.