Bitcoin for Signal is a campaign to add native Bitcoin payments to Signal using Cashu’s Chaumian Ecash protocol, enabling private, peer-to-peer Bitcoin transactions inside the messaging app while aiming to preserve end‑to‑end encryption and user privacy.
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Campaign backed by prominent Bitcoin advocates and developers to integrate Bitcoin payments into Signal.
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Proposal uses Cashu’s Chaumian Ecash to enable private Bitcoin transfers without exposing user identities onchain.
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Signal’s ~70 million monthly users could make the app a major venue for peer‑to‑peer Bitcoin payments, raising regulatory and privacy questions.
Bitcoin for Signal: Campaign pushes Cashu ecash integration to enable private Bitcoin payments inside Signal — learn implications and next steps. Read more now.
What is Bitcoin for Signal?
Bitcoin for Signal is a coordinated effort by Bitcoin proponents to add native Bitcoin payment functionality to the Signal messaging app using Cashu’s Chaumian Ecash protocol. The initiative aims to enable private, off‑chain Bitcoin transfers inside Signal while maintaining the app’s end‑to‑end encryption and user anonymity.
How would Cashu’s Chaumian Ecash enable private Bitcoin payments in Signal?
Cashu’s Chaumian Ecash is a privacy‑first coin‑join and token‑style system that issues blinded ecash tokens redeemable for Bitcoin onchain. Implementing it inside Signal would allow users to send proofs of value between wallets without broadcasting the recipient’s identity or linking individual transactions on the Bitcoin ledger. Proponents say this reduces onchain traceability; critics note Cashu’s current user base and scaling capacity are limited compared with established privacy coins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Bitcoin transactions in Signal be private and untraceable?
Integrating Cashu’s ecash can enhance transactional privacy by separating token exchanges from onchain settlement, but it does not make Bitcoin itself inherently untraceable. Privacy gains depend on protocol implementation, user practices, and availability of mixing or aggregating liquidity. Privacy is improved, not absolute.
Can I send Bitcoin directly inside Signal like a regular message?
Yes — the proposal envisions payments as a built‑in action inside chats, similar to sending attachments. Users would authorize ecash transfers within the app interface and settle to onchain Bitcoin when needed. The experience is designed to read naturally if Signal adopts the feature.
Key Takeaways
- Integration push: A campaign led by Bitcoin advocates proposes adding native Bitcoin payments to Signal using Cashu’s Chaumian Ecash.
- Privacy trade‑offs: Cashu can increase transactional privacy but does not change Bitcoin’s transparent ledger; implementation details determine real privacy gains.
- Regulatory context: The move comes amid debates over messaging privacy and EU proposals to increase content scanning, highlighting legal and policy considerations.
Conclusion
The Bitcoin for Signal initiative aims to make Bitcoin a native payment method inside Signal by leveraging Cashu’s Chaumian Ecash protocol, promising greater transactional privacy while raising technical and regulatory questions. Stakeholders — including developers, privacy advocates, and regulators — will watch Signal’s response closely as adoption, scaling, and legal considerations shape the next steps. COINOTAG will monitor developments and provide updates.
Author: COINOTAG — Publication date: 2025-10-17 — Updated: 2025-10-17
Sources (plain text): Cashu protocol documentation; Signal project announcements; MobileCoin public statements; posts and public comments from Jack Dorsey; statements by Peter Todd; commentary from Pavol Rusnak; Aztec Network engineer remarks; Techlore analysis; EU Chat Control legislative proposals; Satoshi Labs materials.
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