Simply put
- Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has donated approximately $765,000 in ETH to two messaging apps focused on privacy, Sessions and SimpleX.
- In a tweet, he mentioned the importance of encrypted messaging for “protecting digital privacy.”
- This donation arrives amid growing concerns about privacy in the cryptocurrency realm, particularly as the Ethereum Foundation established a dedicated privacy team in October.
Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, recently contributed around $765,000 worth of ETH to Sessions and SimpleX—two privacy-focused messaging applications aiming to challenge established players like Signal and Telegram.
Buterin’s advocacy for privacy solutions is becoming more prominent, especially as global regulations trigger worries about a potential surveillance state. Many people feel increasingly frustrated about maintaining their private lives.
He emphasized in his tweet, “encrypted messaging like Signal is essential to protecting your digital privacy. The next two important steps in this space are (i) non-privileged account creation and (ii) metadata privacy. Session and SimpleX are two messaging apps that are pushing in these directions.”
Chris McCabe, co-founder of Session, remarked, “If you don’t have privacy, how can you express who you really are? If you can’t connect with others as your authentic self, you lose the ability to express yourself and live freely.” He also noted that, “There’s a war on privacy right now, but it’s actually a war on personal expression and individuality.”
Metadata, which includes details like IP addresses or timestamps, is a growing concern. Sessions has a token called SESH, which saw a 371% increase in market cap on the day of the announcement, reaching $15 million.
Similarly, SimpleX focuses on a decentralized and encrypted messaging framework, promoting user ownership of identities and connections. Their approach involves users buying vouchers to access services.
Buterin expressed a certain level of caution, stating that both apps are not “perfect software” and noted that there’s more work to be done in improving user experience and security.
“Strong metadata privacy requires decentralization, and decentralization is complicated,” he explained. “Everything becomes challenging when users expect multi-device support.” He also pointed out the difficulties in ensuring security without relying on phone numbers.
Cryptography and Privacy
Interest in apps and crypto initiatives centered on privacy has surged recently, especially as governments intensify their control over digital interactions.
Zach Williamson, co-founder of Aztec Network, shared insights on the increasing surveillance, stating, “Privacy is crucial because it allows people to act freely online rather than as mere digital goods.”
Noteworthy is the UK’s new requirement for citizens to provide identification to access adult content and the consideration of a digital ID system. Moreover, the Council of the European Union has proposed allowing messaging apps to scan for harmful content to protect children.
In response to recent breaches affecting major U.S. banks, Buterin described privacy as “hygiene.” He also highlighted that the Ethereum Foundation launched a 28-member privacy team in October to expand efforts in this area.
Throughout this time, privacy-focused cryptocurrencies have gained traction. For example, Zcash experienced a remarkable increase of 793% over the past year, despite a recent decline of 27% within a week.
