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Jack Dorsey Joins Bitcoin Push to Revolutionize Signal Payments
Bitcoin advocates are rallying behind a campaign to bring BTC payments to Signal using the Cashu protocol—sparking debate over privacy, purpose, and potential.
A growing number of Bitcoiners, including Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, are backing a bold new initiative to integrate Bitcoin payments into Signal, the widely trusted encrypted messaging app. The effort, dubbed “Bitcoin for Signal,” seeks to implement the Cashu protocol, a privacy-enhancing Bitcoin solution, directly within the app.
“@Signalapp should use Bitcoin,” Dorsey posted on X, amplifying the campaign launched by pseudonymous developer Cashu.
Cashu + Signal: Enabling Truly Private BTC Transactions
The proposed integration leverages Cashu’s “Chaumian Ecash”—a privacy protocol enabling private, off-chain Bitcoin payments. The “Bitcoin for Signal” website declares its vision clearly:
“Bitcoin belongs in Signal.”
Prominent developers such as Peter Todd, Calle, and Pavol Rusnak (co-founder of Satoshi Labs) have endorsed the campaign. Todd criticized Signal’s current crypto feature, MobileCoin (MOB), as “a failure,” urging the app to adopt Bitcoin for its broader utility and decentralization.
A Massive Opportunity: 70 Million Users on the Line
With over 70 million monthly active users, Signal could become a powerful platform for peer-to-peer Bitcoin transactions, enhancing Bitcoin’s real-world use case beyond just a store of value—something Dorsey has passionately advocated for in the past.
Critics Raise Privacy Concerns
Despite Cashu’s privacy focus, critics argue Bitcoin’s public blockchain may contradict Signal’s core ethos.
“Why use a fully public blockchain for a privacy chat?” asked Aztec Network engineer José Pedro Sousa.
Others, like digital rights group Techlore, argue privacy coins like Monero or Zcash might be better suited. While Cashu offers some protections, no Bitcoin-based privacy solution has yet succeeded at scale.
EU “Chat Control” Vote Raises Stakes
The campaign comes amid heightened concerns over surveillance, as the EU nearly passed a law that would force messaging apps to scan private messages, undermining encryption. The controversial bill has been postponed, but tensions remain high.
