A growing campaign led by Bitcoin advocate Jack Dorsey is urging the encrypted messaging app Signal to enable Bitcoin payments using the Cashu protocol, aiming to bring peer-to-peer transactions to Signal’s estimated 70 million monthly users.
Push for Bitcoin integration
Jack Dorsey recently retweeted a post from the pseudonymous developer behind the “Bitcoin for Signal” campaign, stating:
“@Signalapp should use Bitcoin.”
The campaign proposes integrating Cashu’s “Chaumian Ecash” solution, which would allow truly private Bitcoin payments within Signal.
Support has come from other Bitcoin figures, including developer Peter Todd, who criticized Signal’s existing MobileCoin (MOB) integration and called for Bitcoin support instead. Peter Todd said:
“I’ve been wanting to try MobileCoin. But it’s such a failure I can’t even buy any. Signal App needs to accept reality and just add Bitcoin support.”
Privacy concerns
Not everyone agrees with the move.
Some critics argue that Bitcoin’s base layer does not provide robust privacy, making it an odd fit for a privacy-first messenger.
José Pedro Sousa, an engineer at Aztec Network, questioned using a public blockchain with a private chat app.
Others, like digital rights group Techlore, warned that Bitcoin could compromise user privacy. Privacy coins such as Monero and Zcash were suggested as better alternatives.
Signal’s user base and potential impact
If implemented, Bitcoin integration could allow Signal’s massive user base to conduct peer-to-peer payments with enhanced privacy through Cashu.
Dorsey has long argued that Bitcoin’s success depends on its use for everyday payments, not just as a store of value—as originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamoto.
EU privacy debate intensifies
The push for privacy-centric payment solutions comes as the European Union debates the “Chat Control” law, which would force messaging apps to hand over user messages, threatening end-to-end encryption. Germany has opposed the proposal, and a final vote has been delayed until December.
