
Bitcoin Advocates Urge Signal to Integrate Bitcoin in New Initiative
Prominent Bitcoin figures are rallying for the messaging app Signal to incorporate Bitcoin payments, as part of a campaign called 'Bitcoin for Signal.'
Several advocates of Bitcoin, including Jack Dorsey and Peter Todd, are pushing for the privacy-centric messaging platform Signal to integrate Bitcoin through a new initiative called ‘Bitcoin for Signal.’ This campaign aims to enable Bitcoin payments within the app using the Cashu protocol.
“@Signalapp should use Bitcoin,” Dorsey tweeted, supporting the campaign proposed by an anonymous Bitcoin developer behind Cashu.
The group behind ‘Bitcoin for Signal’ intends to leverage Cashu’s ‘Chaumian Ecash’ solution to facilitate Bitcoin transactions on Signal.
“Bitcoin belongs in Signal. Cashu ecash enables truly private Bitcoin payments inside the world’s most trusted encryption messenger,” states the campaign’s website.
Cashu’s pitch for Signal to adopt Bitcoin.
Source: Bitcoin for Signal
The initiative has gained traction, with Todd also expressing interest in replacing or enhancing Signal’s current crypto payment method, MobileCoin (MOB).
Todd remarked, “I’ve been wanting to try MobileCoin. But it’s such a failure I can’t even buy any. Signal App needs to accept reality and just add Bitcoin support.”
Signal has been using MobileCoin since April 2021, although it has received criticism for being overly centralized with limited validators.
Other figures such as Calle and Pavol Rusnak have also shown their support for the Bitcoin for Signal campaign.
Given Signal’s user base of approximately 70 million monthly active users, a successful integration could significantly boost peer-to-peer Bitcoin transactions.
Dorsey has previously argued that Bitcoin will not reach its full potential if it is only perceived as a store of value, rather than a means for daily transactions, as originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamoto.
Critics Warn of Bitcoin’s Privacy Shortcomings
Nevertheless, some critics argue that Bitcoin’s lack of inherent privacy features makes it a poor fit for a privacy-oriented messaging application.
“Jack, why use a fully public blockchain for a privacy chat?” questioned Aztec Network engineer José Pedro Sousa.
Techlore, a digital rights advocacy group, warned that Bitcoin could compromise Signal users’ privacy.
Alternatives like Monero and Zcash were suggested as potentially better choices.
While Cashu does present a privacy-centric option for Bitcoin, few similar applications have achieved widespread success.
Privacy Battles in the EU
The campaign to integrate Bitcoin into private messenger apps coincides with the European Union’s consideration of a controversial “Chat Control” law, which would require all messaging platforms, including encrypted ones like Signal and WhatsApp, to provide access to private messages to aid in detecting child abuse materials. This would undermine end-to-end encryption safeguards.
Germany has opposed the initiative, arguing that mass surveillance of private communications violates constitutional rights. The decision on the proposal has been postponed, with another vote anticipated in early December.
Jack Dorsey
Source: Jack Dorsey