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If privacy wasn't their objective they would just have a database of all the phone numbers.

Perfect privacy would mean not sending any messages at all, because you can never prove the message is going to the intended recipient. Any actual system is going to have tradeoffs, calling Signal anti-privacy is not serious, especially when you're suggesting cryptocurrency as a solution.

A ZKP system where you make a public record of your zero-knowledge proof sounds anti-privacy to me. Even if you're using something obfuscated like Monero, it's still public. I see where you're coming from, but I think I would prefer Signal just keep a database of all their users and promise to try and keep it safe rather than rely on something like Monero.





> have a database of all the phone numbers

They have exactly that. They rely on TPMs for "privacy" which is not serious.

> Perfect privacy would mean not sending any messages at all

Not sending messages is incompatible with secure messaging which is the subject of the discussion...

> ZKP system where you make a public record of your zero-knowledge proof sounds anti-privacy to me.

A zero-knowledge proof provably contains zero information. Even if you use a type of ZKP vulnerable to a potential CRQC it's still zero information and can never be cracked to reveal information (a CRQC could forge proofs however).

> especially when you're suggesting cryptocurrency as a solution

Would you elaborate on why cryptocurrencies are not a solution? Especially if combined with ZKPs to sever the connection between the payment and the account. When combined with ZKPs, they could even accept Paypal for donations in exchange for private accounts.


signal was intended for the general public. crypto defeats the purpose.



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