Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently distributed a 256 ETH grant to two privacy-focused messaging applications, Session and SimpleX Chat, according to publicly available blockchain records reported by CryptoSlate. The grant, valued at approximately $600,000 based on current ETH prices, targets development of metadata-resistant communication systems.
Both recipient projects operate independently of blockchain infrastructure and do not integrate with Ethereum-based systems. However, both are open-source, community-supported projects with no wallet integration, smart contracts, or decentralized application connectivity.
Session: Metadata-Resistant Messaging
Session is a messaging network that uses public-key identities and multi-hop onion routing to prevent any single node from seeing both sender and recipient. Messages are temporarily stored in decentralized “swarms” that hold encrypted data without accessing content. Node operators stake tokens to prevent Sybil attacks, and users are identified by cryptographic keypairs rather than personal information.
SimpleX Chat: Eliminating User Identifiers
SimpleX Chat takes a different approach, eliminating persistent user identifiers entirely. Connections are established via one-time invitations or QR codes, with each conversation operating as an isolated cryptographic channel. Servers relay messages without linking them to users, and all contact lists and message histories remain on users’ devices.
Significance of the Donation
The donation represents a fraction of typical cryptocurrency funding rounds but signals attention to communication privacy infrastructure. Blockchain systems, including Ethereum, operate through global broadcast mechanisms that are incompatible with private messaging requirements, according to technical documentation.
The grant arrives during a period of reduced market volatility compared to previous cryptocurrency cycles. Buterin has previously advocated for privacy-enhancing technologies across various digital infrastructure categories.
Session and SimpleX Chat address different aspects of metadata protection in digital communications. Session focuses on obscuring routing information, while SimpleX eliminates the identity layer that generates trackable metadata.
Why it Matters
The projects represent approaches to privacy engineering that begin at the protocol design level rather than as supplementary features added to existing systems. Both applications aim to reduce the information available to network intermediaries and service operators.
Funding for privacy-focused communication tools has historically lagged behind other categories in the cryptocurrency sector, despite widespread use of messaging applications across digital ecosystems.