Featured News Headlines
- 1 Ethereum Visionary Vitalik Buterin Champions Encrypted Messaging With Major ETH Donation
- 2 Buterin Backs Projects Pushing Privacy Boundaries
- 3 Decentralized Apps Designed to Remove Identifiers
- 4 Privacy Advocates Face Growing Regulatory Pressure
- 5 More Work Needed on UX, Security, and Decentralization
Ethereum Visionary Vitalik Buterin Champions Encrypted Messaging With Major ETH Donation
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has thrown his support behind decentralized communication tools, donating roughly $760,000 worth of Ether to two crypto-native messaging apps he believes are advancing the future of digital privacy.
Buterin Backs Projects Pushing Privacy Boundaries
In a post on X, Buterin praised encrypted messaging platforms—similar to Signal—as essential for preserving online privacy. He emphasized that the next frontier should include permissionless account creation and strong metadata protection, two areas where he believes decentralized apps are already making progress.
Buterin revealed that he donated 128 ETH to each of the platforms Session and SimpleX Chat, encouraging users to explore their privacy-first features.
Decentralized Apps Designed to Remove Identifiers
Both messaging apps aim to eliminate traditional identifiers that expose user data. Session removes common metadata such as phone numbers and relies on no central servers, offering a more anonymous communication layer.
SimpleX Chat similarly avoids tying accounts to phone numbers or persistent IDs and incorporates several privacy-preserving mechanisms.
Buterin—whose crypto holdings reportedly place his net worth at over $737 million—is known for contributing to projects aligned with Ethereum’s values, as well as donating to various charitable causes.
Privacy Advocates Face Growing Regulatory Pressure
The donation arrives amid heightened global scrutiny around encrypted messaging. Past efforts like the EU’s proposed Chat Control law sought to require apps including WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal to scan messages before they’re encrypted.
Alexander Linton, president of the Session Technology Foundation, told Cointelegraph that Buterin’s support is significant at a time when both regulatory and technical pressures threaten private communication. He noted that decentralization remains key in protecting users despite increasing challenges.
More Work Needed on UX, Security, and Decentralization
Buterin also highlighted the technical hurdles ahead. True metadata privacy requires deep decentralization, which becomes more complex as users expect features like seamless multi-device support. He pointed to the need for stronger Sybil and DoS resistance without relying on phone numbers, emphasizing that these issues need more developer attention.
Chris McCabe, co-founder of Session, added that global awareness of privacy tools is still lacking. He stressed that users deserve “trustless privacy” and reminded them that they “don’t need to be a product” in the digital world.
