In brief
- The nonprofit behind the messenger app Signal says it’s started taking donations in crypto.
- It’s taking Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, ChainLink, Zcash, and more.
- You can also donate anonymously.
The nonprofit behind the privacy-focused messenger app Signal has started accepting donations in cryptocurrency.
According to a new landing page on the Signal Foundation’s site, these payments will be processed through The Giving Block, a company which facilitates crypto donations for nonprofits.
The site is taking the two most popular cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin and Ethereum, as well as altcoins such as Litecoin, Chainlink, and Zcash, which is a so-called “privacy coin.”
Signal works a little like Telegram, another popular messaging service, in that it’s end-to-end encrypted, meaning messages can only be read by the sender and receiver. That’s in contrast to something like Facebook Messenger, which can access your data and can use it to more effectively sell ads on its platform.
The Signal Foundation was launched in 2018 by Moxie Marlinspike, who’s responsible for the Signal app, and Brian Acton, who created WhatsApp.
Elon Musk is a fan of Signal, as is Twitter’s Jack Dorsey.
Last year, in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, Signal introduced a face-blurring tool designed to protect the identity of protestors.
It’s also been reported that Signal is actively exploring options for developing its own cryptocurrency.