Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin publicly stated that he donated approximately $760,000 worth of Ether to two encryption communication applications that are breaking digital privacy boundaries, namely Session and SimpleX Chat. He mentioned that encryption messaging applications like Signal are crucial for protecting digital privacy, and the next step in this field should be permissionless account creation and metadata privacy.
Why Vitalik Bets on Session and SimpleX Chat
Buterin stated on November 26 in a post on the X forum that encrypted messaging applications like Signal “are crucial for protecting our digital privacy,” and added that the next step in this field should be permissionless account creation and metadata privacy. Vitalik mentioned that decentralized messaging applications Session and SimpleX Chat are “driving these directions forward,” and he also added that he “donated 128 ETH to each of these applications” and encouraged users to try them out.
Session is designed to eliminate the common identifiers and metadata relied upon by traditional instant messaging tools, such as phone numbers, and it does not have a central server. This decentralized architecture means that no single entity can control or censor the communication content, nor is there a central database that can be hacked or compelled by governments to provide user data. Session uses onion routing technology to hide users' IP addresses and metadata, ensuring that even if messages are intercepted, attackers cannot know who is communicating with whom.
Other features of SimpleX Chat include: it does not rely on phone numbers and does not assign identifiable IDs to users. Similar to Session, SimpleX Chat adopts an innovative architecture to eliminate privacy vulnerabilities of traditional communication applications. Most encrypted communication applications, while encrypting message content, still retain metadata (such as who communicated with whom and when), and this metadata is often more valuable than the content itself. SimpleX Chat fundamentally eliminates the risk of such metadata leakage by not using any permanent user identifiers.
Core Privacy Features of Session and SimpleX Chat
No phone number required: Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, which require a mobile number for registration.
No Central Server: Decentralized architecture, with no single point of failure or censorship risk.
Metadata Privacy: Not only is the content encrypted, but also the information about who is communicating with whom is hidden.
Onion Routing: A technology similar to Tor that hides IP addresses and communication patterns.
No Permanent ID: SimpleX does not assign any traceable identifiers to users.
According to the cryptocurrency he holds, Vitalik's net worth is estimated to be at least $737 million. He frequently donates to projects that align with Ethereum's values and also contributes to many charitable organizations. Although the donation of 256 ETH (128 ETH x 2) is not a large proportion of Vitalik's overall assets, its symbolic significance far exceeds the amount itself, representing the Ethereum founder's clear support for the development direction of privacy technologies.
EU “Chat Control” Measures Threaten Privacy Bottom Line
Under the influence of measures such as the “chat control” previously proposed by the EU, the privacy issues of instant messaging applications have been a hot topic of discussion. The measure will force platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal to allow authorities to review their messages before encryption and sending. This regulatory proposal has sparked intense debate between privacy advocates and the government.
Alexander Linton, the chairman of the Session Technology Foundation, stated in an interview with Cointelegraph that this support is commendable, as protecting digital privacy still faces many challenges. “Unfortunately, the development of regulations and technology currently threatens the future of private instant messaging. However, the challenges facing private instant messaging are solvable, and I believe Vitalik is well aware of the importance of decentralization in this struggle,” he said.
“Due to regulatory measures such as chat controls, everyone engaged in private communication work currently faces some form of threat, but this support helps us focus on our mission.” This statement reveals the core dilemma faced by privacy communication applications: on one hand, the government demands backdoor access under the pretext of combating crime and terrorism; on the other hand, the existence of any backdoor undermines the integrity of encryption, exposing all users to risk.
The EU's “chat control” proposal requires platforms to scan messages before they are sent, in order to detect child sexual abuse material and other illegal content. This practice technically means that platforms must access message content before encryption, which effectively undermines end-to-end encryption. Privacy advocates warn that once this scanning mechanism is established, it could be expanded for other purposes such as political censorship and commercial surveillance. Vitalik's donations to Session and SimpleX Chat can be seen as a clear stance against this regulatory trend.
Technical Challenges of Decentralized Communication
Buterin also stated that both applications need to continue working hard to achieve a truly optimal user experience and security, as strong metadata privacy requires decentralization. “Decentralization is difficult, and users' expectations for multi-device support make everything even more challenging.” This comment reveals the core technical challenges faced by privacy communication applications.
Multi-device synchronization is a basic requirement of modern communication applications, and users expect to seamlessly switch between mobile phones, tablets, and computers. However, achieving this functionality under a decentralized architecture is extremely challenging. Traditional applications store message history through a central server, and new devices download the history from the server upon login. But in a decentralized system without a central server, how to achieve cross-device synchronization while maintaining privacy is a technical challenge that has not yet been perfectly solved.
“Without relying on phone numbers, the difficulty of defending against witch attacks/denial of service attacks has increased, whether in the message routing network or on the client side. These issues require more attention from people. Wishing all teams dedicated to solving these important issues the best.” Vitalik's comment reveals another core challenge of decentralized communication.
A Sybil attack refers to a malicious actor creating multiple pseudonymous identities or nodes in order to gain control or an unfair advantage in a peer-to-peer network. In traditional communication applications, phone numbers serve as an authentication mechanism, which naturally limits the cost of Sybil attacks (each fake account requires a real phone number). However, in decentralized systems where phone numbers are not required, the cost of creating a large number of fake identities is very low, and attackers may disrupt the network or launch denial-of-service attacks by controlling a large number of nodes.
The increasing demand for global awareness of privacy communication
Chris McCabe, co-founder of Session, stated, “What is surprising is that we clearly see that Vitalik and many people around the world understand what true privacy is and what people need to live freely.” However, he also mentioned that raising global awareness of encryption and decentralized messaging should be an important next step.
“People do not understand what happens to their data behind the scenes, and Session is like a beacon, telling everyone: Hey! — You really can have trustless privacy, it's right here now,” McCabe said. “If we are to send a message to the world, it is that you do not have to become a commodity; you can be who you want to be, freely express yourself. Privacy is a right, and you just need to know it exists.”
This statement touches on the core contradiction of contemporary digital society: most people using mainstream messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat are unaware that their metadata is being collected and analyzed. Although these platforms may encrypt the content of messages, they still record who communicates with whom, when, the frequency of communication, geographic location, and other information. This metadata can be used for targeted advertising, social graph analysis, and in some countries, even for political surveillance.
Vitalik's donation is not only financial support but also a public endorsement, leveraging his influence in the encryption community to enhance the visibility of these privacy tools. The support from the Ethereum founder will attract more developers, users, and funding to this field, accelerating the development of privacy communication technologies. Looking at the development history of Ethereum itself, Vitalik has consistently emphasized core values such as decentralization, anti-censorship, and privacy protection, and this donation perfectly aligns with that consistent philosophy.
