What is CONIKS?
CONIKS is a key management system for end users capable of integration in end-to-end secure communication services. The main idea is that users should not have to worry about managing encryption keys when they want to communicate securely, but they also should not have to trust their secure communication service providers to act in their interest.
Why Key Transparency Matters
CONIKS protects end-to-end encrypted communications from malicious or compromised communication providers and surveillance by storing users' encryption keys in tamper-evident and publicly auditable key directories. This allows messaging clients to verify the identity of users automatically, and prevents malicious/compromised providers from hijacking secure communications without getting caught.