Tox began a few years ago, in the wake of Edward Snowden's leaks regarding NSA spying activity. The idea was to create an instant messaging protocol that ran without any kind of central servers. The system would be distributed, peer-to-peer, and encrypted end-to-end, with no way to disable any of the encryption features; at the same time, the protocol would be easily usable by the layperson with no practical knowledge of cryptography or distributed systems. Work began during the Summer of 2013 by a single anonymous developer (who continues, to this day, to remain anonymous). This lone developer put together a library implementing the Tox protocol. The library provides all of the messaging and encryption facilities, and is completely decoupled from any user-interface; for an end-user to make use of Tox, they need a Tox client . Fast-forward a few years to today, and there exist several independent Tox client projects, and the original Tox core library implementation is nearing completion (in terms of features). Tox (both core and clients) has thousands of users, hundreds of contributors, and the project shows no sign of slowing down. Recently, a group of some of the project's major contributors have formed The Tox Project; an organization built around the support and promotion of Tox.

The Tox Project shall exist for the purpose of advancing the state of secure
communication of the individual. The Tox Project shall further the development
of the Tox core library as its steward. The Tox Project will provide:

    * Funding for core developers, when reasonably within the organization budget
    * Maintenance of a published standard describing the Tox core protocol and library implementation
    * Maintenance of a published standard describing Tox client implementation guidelines

The Tox Project shall also be responsible for facilitating collaboration amongst
the various Tox core and client developers (collectively termed "Tox
developers" throughout the rest of this document) by providing platforms for
discussion between and among the two groups.

Lastly, The Tox Project will also provide (at its own discretion) at least the
following services, free-of-charge, to project groups utilizing the Tox core
library:

    * Build infrastructure
    * Binary and package distribution infrastructure
    * Documentation infrastructure
    * An outlet for public relations

The Tox Project shall ensure that its purpose and mode of operation remain within
the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The above text was taken directly from the most recent draft of our organizational bylaws.

The relationship of The Tox Project to Tox is analogous to the Linux Foundation's relationship to Linux. We are a support organization, here to make it easier for everyone to develop and use Tox, and to promote free and secure exchange of information via the use of Tox.

The Tox Project consists of the members of the Tox Project executive board, the project assets (money, equipment, etc…), and any committees established by the Tox Project. The Tox Project is not yet a legal entity, but is in the process of incorporating and becoming a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

The following table lists the members of the Tox Project executive board:

Those listed without names have chosen to keep themselves anonymous (for now). If you wish to send an email to the entire board, you may send mail to our distribution list, leadership@tox.chat

The Tox Project executive board makes decisions about the organization on a democratic basis. We meet once a week to discuss organization issues and goals, and then decide on a plan of action using a simple majority vote.

If you'd like to learn, in more detail, about what the Tox Project is, who runs it, and how it's being run, see The Tox Project Organizational Bylaws.