: Note that 16-character IDs are V2 Onion Addresses , which have been largely deprecated by the Tor Project in favor of longer, more secure 56-character V3 addresses.

Unlike WhatsApp or Signal, TorChat doesn't use central servers. Every user is a hidden service on the Tor network. Your "username" is a unique .onion address (like ie7h37c4qmu5ccza ), meaning:

and no longer supported by the current Tor browser (which now uses longer 56-character v3 addresses). Authenticity:

: Downloading files associated with these strings from unverified sources (like Weebly blogs or unknown media servers) carries a high risk of malware or phishing

While there isn't a single "standard" academic paper titled with that exact string, the most helpful resource covering the technical architecture of TorChat and its security properties is: Key Resource for TorChat