Author: Yam, Jinse Finance
"Privacy is not a feature, it's the foundation."
Privacy should be a core design principle and an inherent right, not an optional add-on or a mere selling point. This has become a widely accepted gold standard in the fields of technology and data ethics. This is especially true in the crypto space.
From Navarre's recommendation of the privacy coin Zcash to Vitalik's strong support and sponsorship of the privacy communication applications Session and SimpleX, all reflect the crypto industry's urgent expectation for privacy.
However, this alone is far from enough. Whether it's these privacy currencies or encrypted communication applications, Web3 social networking is the jewel in the crown of the crypto industry. Because for the crypto industry, the importance of community is self-evident.
If a one-stop integrated application of "privacy + Web3 social" can be achieved, it will undoubtedly have the potential to become a killer product in the crypto industry. Privacy Coins: Naval Recommends Zcash Since the birth of cryptocurrencies, privacy coins have been a major sector. One of the best-performing cryptocurrencies in 2025 is Zcash. Legendary Silicon Valley investor Naval posted on X (formerly Twitter) on October 1, 2025, explicitly recommending Zcash: "Bitcoin is insurance against fiat. Zcash is insurance against Bitcoin." Naval's main reason for recommending Zcash is privacy protection: Bitcoin transactions are completely public; all addresses, amounts, and history can be tracked through on-chain analysis, thus lacking privacy. Even Satoshi Nakamoto himself couldn't use Bitcoin without revealing his identity because governments, banks, or on-chain analytics companies could monitor all transactions. Zcash, however, offers true privacy: Zcash uses zk-SNARKs (zero-knowledge proofs) technology to support "shielded transactions," completely hiding details such as sender, receiver, and amount without leaving any traceable trail. This is a hedge against potential future "surveillance finance." In a world of increasingly stringent regulations and excessive on-chain transparency, Zcash can act as "insurance" for Bitcoin, protecting digital wealth from surveillance, capital controls, or censorship. The Privacy Battle: From He Yi's WeChat Account Being Stolen to Vitalik Sponsoring Encrypted Communication Apps. Zcash is a privacy product from a monetary perspective. Beyond cryptocurrencies, privacy permeates every aspect of our daily lives, such as the Web2 social products we use daily. These all require privacy protection. A prime example is the theft of He Yi's WeChat account. He Yi, co-founder and newly appointed co-CEO of Binance, had her WeChat account stolen around December 9, 2025. Although He Yi had long since stopped using the WeChat account, her linked old mobile phone number had been reclaimed by the operator and reassigned to someone else, as Chinese mobile phone numbers can be reissued after three months of inactivity. The hacker obtained the verification code through the new number holder, successfully taking over the account. He Yi then posted false information on her WeChat Moments and multiple social groups, promoting a low-liquidity Meme coin called Mubarakah (MUBARA), before selling it off and profiting approximately $55,000. Clearly, the traditional identity authentication model of Web2 social platforms like WeChat is built on an illusion of trust. Users are forced to completely entrust their most sensitive personal data and communication information to centralized platforms. Other Web2 communication applications (such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal), while using end-to-end encryption and preventing centralized platform servers from seeing user-sent messages, thus protecting some privacy, still have limitations. For example, metadata (who contacts whom, when, and frequently) is often exposed, and registration typically relies on phone numbers, making them easy targets for monitoring. This is precisely the problem that Web3 encrypted communication applications aim to solve. Crypto leaders have long recognized these issues and have begun to seriously support them. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin donated 128 ETH each to two encrypted communication projects, Session and SimpleX, at the end of November. Session: An end-to-end encrypted decentralized instant messaging application. Session allows account creation without a phone number or email address. It uses a randomly generated 66-character alphanumeric combination for user identification. Communication between users, including messages, voice clips, photos, and files, is end-to-end encrypted using the Session protocol, with IP address masking via Onion routing and a highly resilient decentralized server architecture. The Session Network is a decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) comprised of community-operated nodes called Session nodes. This DePIN infrastructure enables application functionality and scalability by routing and storing data (such as messages). Currently, approximately 2000 nodes serve Session. Session nodes are responsible for storing Session messages, routing session messages, ensuring network security, and maintaining the application chain. Anyone can run a Session node by staking Session tokens and contributing resources (data storage, bandwidth, processing power) to the network. Session issues a token, SESH, on Arbitrum One. SESH is an EVM-compatible token used to unlock advanced features in the Session messaging process (Session Name Service, Session Pro) and serves as a security and incentive layer for Session nodes. SimpleX: SimpleX is an open-source instant messaging tool that emphasizes "no user ID"—no phone number, email address, or random username/ID, and supports end-to-end encryption (E2EE). It is based on the SimpleX Chat protocol, which is the protocol used by SimpleX Chat clients to exchange messages. This protocol relies on the underlying SimpleX protocols—the SimpleX Messaging Protocol (SMP) and the SimpleX Message Broker Protocol. The SimpleX Chat protocol describes the message format and the actions a client should take when receiving such messages. Vitalik stated that these two applications represent an experimental direction for "truly decentralized private communication," which can resist regulation (such as the EU's "Chat Control" proposal) and centralized surveillance.
Evolution of Encrypted IM: One-Stop Encrypted Social Applications
In fact, many Web2 instant messaging (IM) applications are inherently encrypted. However, because they are Web2, they undoubtedly cannot achieve Web3 features such as decentralization. These Web2 encrypted IM applications include:
WhatsApp: An IM application under Meta, with a huge Web2 user base of over 3 billion users worldwide. It enables end-to-end encryption by default, making it suitable for ordinary users.
iMessage: Apple's built-in IM, which is inherently end-to-end encrypted. This means that only you and the recipient can read messages; Apple cannot read them either. It uses encryption and signing keys to protect communication; you can further strengthen verification by enabling "Contact Key Verification" to ensure the other party's identity.
Signal: Privacy-focused with strong end-to-end encryption (Signal Protocol), it does not collect user data, is open-source, ad-free, completely free, and supports voice/video calls, group chats, and ephemeral messages. It is widely considered the most secure IM software currently available. Telegram: Feature-rich, similar to WeChat/QQ, it supports large groups, channels, and file transfers. Private chats ("encrypted chat") use end-to-end encryption. It is powerful and has a large user base, but chats are not end-to-end encrypted by default; "encrypted chat" mode must be enabled. XChat: Launched by Elon Musk's X Company (formerly Twitter), it's a brand-new encrypted instant messaging application integrated into X, aiming to make the X platform a multi-functional "super app." It offers end-to-end encryption, message self-destruction, file transfer, and audio/video calls without phone numbers, challenging existing communication tools like WhatsApp and Telegram. Wire: End-to-end encryption, headquartered in Switzerland, protected by strict European privacy laws, open-source and independently reviewed code, suitable for individuals and businesses. It combines high security with a superior user experience, supporting multiple account logins. Threema: Developed in Switzerland, it offers anonymous use (no phone number or email required), randomly generated IDs, and end-to-end encryption of all content, leaving no data trace. It boasts strong anonymity and advanced data protection concepts. Besides the aforementioned Web2 encrypted IM, some Web3 encrypted communication services have also emerged, such as Session, which Vitalik strongly recommends. Session has its own Session Network and issues its own token, SESH, on Arbitrum. Recently, a new Web3 encrypted IM application, Luffa, has appeared, offering a one-stop solution of "privacy + Web3 social" features, representing a new evolutionary trend. Luffa is a decentralized instant messaging application based on Web3, designed for security. Built on the Endless protocol, it's a decentralized social platform providing a secure and private social experience for users worldwide. It uses an end-to-end data encryption based on a decentralized network. Registration and login use mnemonic phrases, ensuring no connection or disclosure of any user's personal information, such as phone numbers or email addresses. There is no centralized data backup. Every message is absolutely secure. Only the participants in the conversation can see the messages. In addition, Luffa integrates Web3 social features in a one-stop shop. Users can create on-chain groups on Luffa, each with a dedicated group account capable of receiving, transferring, and airdropping any asset on the Endless Network, thereby enhancing rewards, operations, and governance capabilities and driving community development. Luffa natively supports Web3 multi-chain wallets and has also issued the Luffa Card. The Luffa Card is a Visa digital card that supports multi-chain USDT top-ups. It can be used at any merchant worldwide that accepts Visa cards, easily using crypto assets in real life. Currently, Luffa's iOS, Android, and desktop versions are officially available in app stores. According to Luffa's latest data, it currently has over 1 million registered users.
Evolution of Encrypted IM
Conclusion: The Killer Foundation of "Privacy + Web3 Social"
From Navarre's strong recommendation of Zcash to combat financial surveillance, to He Yi's WeChat account being hacked and exposing the fatal flaws of centralized communication, to Vitalik Buterin's generous sponsorship of Session and SimpleX, the entire crypto industry has reached a clear consensus: privacy is no longer an option, but a fundamental right to digital survival.
However, privacy coins or single encrypted communication tools are far from enough. The core of Web3 lies in community and ecosystem. What we need is a solution that can integrate extreme privacy protection (such as mnemonic phrase login, end-to-end encryption, decentralized storage) with complete Web3 social functions (such as on-chain groups, native multi-chain wallets, and crypto asset consumption) in one go.
The emergence of applications like Luffa is a representative of this trend.
They break through the boundaries of traditional instant messaging, upgrading secure communication into a closed-loop experience of "social as ecosystem." In the future, these integrated applications combining "privacy + Web3 social" will no longer be niche tools, but rather killer infrastructure for the encrypted industry, carrying user data sovereignty, asset transactions, and community operations. Owning them means truly owning your digital identity and freedom in the Web3 world.
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