Bitcoin for Signal: Campaign Pushes Cashu Ecash Integration to Enable Private Bitcoin Payments Inside Signal
A new campaign backed by prominent Bitcoin advocates and developers aims to integrate native Bitcoin payment functionality directly into the Signal messaging app. The proposal leverages Cashu’s Chaumian Ecash protocol to enable private, off-chain Bitcoin transfers without exposing user identities on the blockchain.
With Signal’s approximately 70 million monthly users, this integration could transform Signal into a major venue for peer-to-peer Bitcoin payments — raising important regulatory and privacy questions.
What is Bitcoin for Signal?
Bitcoin for Signal is a coordinated effort by Bitcoin proponents to add native Bitcoin payment capabilities to the Signal app using Cashu’s Chaumian Ecash protocol. The initiative’s main goal is to enable private, off-chain Bitcoin transfers inside Signal while preserving the app’s hallmark features of 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 on-chain. Integrating this protocol into Signal would allow users to send proofs of value between wallets without publicly broadcasting the recipient’s identity or linking individual transactions on the Bitcoin ledger.
Proponents argue this approach significantly reduces on-chain traceability of transactions. However, critics highlight that Cashu’s current user base and scaling capacity remain limited compared to 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 on-chain settlement. However, it does not make Bitcoin itself inherently untraceable. The level of privacy gained depends on protocol implementation, user behavior, and the availability of mixing or aggregating liquidity. In other words, privacy is improved but not absolute.
Can I send Bitcoin directly inside Signal like a regular message?
Yes. The proposal envisions Bitcoin payments as a built-in action within chats, similar to sending attachments. Users would authorize ecash transfers within the app interface and settle to on-chain Bitcoin when needed. The user experience is designed to feel natural and seamless if Signal adopts this feature.
Key Takeaways
- Integration push: A campaign led by Bitcoin advocates proposes adding native Bitcoin payments to Signal using Cashu’s Chaumian Ecash protocol.
- Privacy trade-offs: Cashu can increase transactional privacy but does not alter Bitcoin’s inherently transparent ledger; implementation details are critical to realizing real privacy benefits.
- Regulatory context: This initiative emerges amid ongoing debates about messaging privacy and EU legislative proposals to increase content scanning, underscoring important 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. This promises greater transactional privacy while also raising technical, scaling, and regulatory challenges.
Stakeholders—including developers, privacy advocates, and regulators—will closely watch Signal’s response as the initiative progresses. Adoption, scalability, and legal considerations will shape the next steps in this evolving story.
COINOTAG will continue to monitor developments and provide updates.
Author: COINOTAG
Publication date: 2025-10-17
Updated: 2025-10-17
Sources: 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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