December 15, 2022
[Chicago, IL, December 15, 2022] Decred (DCR), a sovereignty and privacy maximizing currency, today announced the launch of Bison Relay, a secure, private, censorship-resistant social media and messaging platform that gives users custody over their data.
“The web is broken and in desperate need of a reboot,” said Jake Yocom-Piatt, Co-Founder and Project Lead at Decred. “The root of the problem is that the web and social media platforms are fundamentally custodial networks. When people have custody of your data, content, and metadata, they can record, sell or even manipulate it. Instead of arguing about who the custodian should be, the solution is to remove or minimize that custody.”
A recent report by consumer intelligence firm Talkwalker stated that decentralized social media platforms are one of the top trends that will have the biggest impact on social media channels in 2023. The move towards decentralized networks will become more appealing as users seek greater control over their data and privacy.
Bison Relay gives users sovereignty with absolute freedom of expression and custody of personal information. The platform offers “zero knowledge communications” with end-to-end encryption that ensures only the intended recipients see the content of messages. It’s also censorship resistant. Server operators can’t see what users share or which chats they participate in, protecting them from censorship.
Users can monetize their content, as opposed to being monetized by centralized entities, using the built-in Lightning Network, with things like private newsletter subscriptions or tips for video content.
Everything is powered by micro-transactions using a Lightning Network crypto wallet - users are the customer, not the product, with custody and control of their personal information and data.
“The long-term goal is to build Bison Relay out to become a full-on alternative to the existing web,” continued Yocom-Piatt. “Giving control, privacy, and data protection back to users and eliminating centralization.”
Bison Relay is the latest in a series of developments from the Decred ecosystem. The project has created several tools to enhance financial sovereignty and privacy, including a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange (DCRDEX), voting system (Politeia), and opt-in privacy system, with post-quantum-secure mixing.
For more information visit bisonrelay.org.
Decred is Money Evolved. By combining battle-tested Proof-of-Work with an innovative take on Proof-of-Stake that places coin holders in charge of shaping the future, Decred is able to adapt to challenges and innovate at a rapid pace. You acquire influence in Decred by putting “skin in the game”. Decred’s security, privacy, scalability, and decentralized treasury empower stakeholders and provides them with the tools needed to enhance their financial sovereignty.