Quick Breakdown
- Vitalik Buterin donated 128 ETH each to Session and SimpleX, two decentralized messaging apps prioritizing metadata-free communication.
- He says the next stage of secure messaging must include permissionless accounts and strong metadata privacy, which centralized apps cannot fully deliver.
- Buterin highlights that decentralization, Sybil-attack resistance, and multi-device support remain major challenges that require additional technical contributors.
Ethereum co-founder backs metadata-free communication tools
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has thrown his weight and wallet behind two decentralized messaging platforms he believes are redefining digital privacy. In a post on X, Buterin announced he has donated 128 ETH each, roughly $760,000 in total, to Session and SimpleX Chat, describing both platforms as pioneering the next era of secure communication.
Send messages, not metadata.
For decentralized communication to succeed, we need to remain connected and collaborative. Thank you for your support, @vitalikbuterin https://t.co/JVfLxdgOCV
— Session (@session_app) November 26, 2025
Pushing beyond signal-level privacy
While apps like Signal already offer end-to-end encryption, Buterin said the next phase of private communication requires permissionless account creation and protection of metadata, areas where centralized platforms still fall short.
He praised Session and SimpleX for removing traditional identifiers, such as phone numbers, and for avoiding centralized servers or user IDs. According to Buterin, these approaches offer a clearer path toward true anonymity and user sovereignty.
The challenge of true decentralization
Buterin noted that achieving strong metadata privacy demands profound decentralization, a technical hurdle that becomes even more complex when factoring in multi-device access, Sybil-attack resistance, and maintaining a smooth user experience.
“Decentralization is hard,”
he wrote, calling for more experts to support teams tackling issues like denial-of-service resilience and secure message routing without relying on phone number verification.
“Sybil / DoS resistance, both in the message routing network and on the user side, without forcing phone number dependence, adds further difficulty.”
A track record of values-aligned giving
With an estimated crypto net worth exceeding $737 million, Buterin has a long history of funding privacy-focused technologies, humanitarian causes, and projects aligned with Ethereum’s ethos. His latest donation comes amid global debates over encrypted messaging, including the European Union’s controversial, since-paused “Chat Control” proposal that would have required scanning messages before encryption.
Meanwhile, Buterin co-authored a new document titled the “Trustless Manifesto,” reaffirming the project’s foundational commitment to decentralization and censorship resistance. The manifesto urges blockchain developers to avoid centralizing shortcuts in pursuit of scalability and mainstream adoption.
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