The private messenger Signal adds a crypto payment functionwith privacy-focused MobileCoin cryptocurrency.
The messenger announced in it's official statement:
“Signal today plans to announce that it's rolling out the ability for some of its users to send money to one another within its fast-growing encrypted communications network. To do so, it has integrated support for the cryptocurrency MobileCoin, a form of digital cash designed to work efficiently on mobile devices while protecting users' privacy and even their anonymity.
For now, the payment feature will be available only to users in the UK, and only on iOS and Android, not the desktop. But the new feature nonetheless represents an experiment in bringing privacy-focused cryptocurrency to millions of users, one that Signal hopes to eventually expand around the world.”
Why was Signal allowed to do what Telegram was eventually forbidden to? Everything is very simple. The signal is indeed one of the secure messengers that uses encryption and has a free and open-source code.
Signal was developed by Moxie Marlinspike and his co-founded company called Open Whisper Systems 6 years ago. Client applications are distributed under the GPLv3 license. The server code is available under the AGPLv3 license. But in February 2018, the Signal Foundation, a non-profit foundation, was created with initial funding of $ 50 million.
The most interesting thing is that this money were received not as an investment, but as a loan that needs to be repaid. It is noteworthy that the loan was received from Brian Acton (the founder of WhatsApp).
The OWS algorithm used by the Signal was subsequently used in the following messengers: WhatsApp, Google Allo, Facebook Messenger, and Skype from Microsoft. You can learn a lot about the true confidentiality of the listed messengers from the reports of security experts. There is a lot of information on the Internet.
The whole difference with the history of Telegram, its TON project, and the Gram cryptocurrency is that TON is the own development of Telegram’s team. And the “anonymous cryptocurrency” MobileCoin used by the Signal is a third-party development.
But take a closer look.
It is enough to see what software solutions it runs on. This is eloquently and proudly stated on the official website of the Mobilecoin Foundation: Powered By Intel, Azure, IBM.
So, next time, when you think that Bitcoin or Ethereum are not so secure or private, dn't forget to make sure that your anonymous cryptocurrency runs on the solutions of these big three: Intel, Microsoft, and IBM.
