Damus, a decentralized social networking platform powered by Nostr that promises to replace centrally-controlled social networks, has launched on the Apple App Store.
Nostr Launches on the Apple App Store
Nostr, which is based on cryptographic keypairs, has announced the launch of its most popular mobile app Damus on the App Store after three failed attempts.
Sponsored
Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter who made a case for a decentralized alternative to the app, is also a contributor to the Damus project. Reacting to the news, Dorsey tweeted:
a milestone for open protocols...#nostr is now officially on the Apple App Store with @damusapp:https://t.co/GQmvPE5nfX
— jack (@jack) January 31, 2023
Bringing Decentralization to Users
Nostr markets Damus as the “social network you control.” They plan to build Damus into a social media platform with uncensored content. Damus allows for censorship-resistant and permissionless communications.
The decentralized Twitter alternative allows users to send private encrypted messages with the destination user’s public key. Only the private key corresponding to that public key can decrypt the message.
Nostr utilizes decentralized relays to distribute messages sent on Damus. In addition, Damus is said to have built-in payments through the Bitcoin Layer-2 Lightning Network.
On the Flipside
- Twitter is also trying to catch up with its competitors, recently announcing the launch of a payment system, which could include crypto on the app.
Why You Should Care
The launch of Damus on the app store is a significant milestone for decentralized social media networks and adds more competition to Twitter.
Read more on the growing open protocol niche below:
Blockchain Twitter App Launches to Bring Decentralized Social to the Masses
Find out why the competition could get stiffer for Twitter in:
Vitalik Buterin, Co-founder of Ethereum (ETH), says Musk’s Twitter Could Face More Competition