The technology developed in order to inject crypto wallets into the messenger is called Lite.IM and it is part of a sociological and political manifesto based on Blockchain ideals.
On August 9th, 2018 Charlie Lee posted the following on his official Twitter account.
The news spread quickly as it was an extraordinary novelty. Your Telegram Messenger had suddenly just transformed into a Litecoin Wallet. Recently, the same company that set this milestone announced that it is close to giving a much more revolutionary step towards mass adoption: to conquer Facebook Messenger.
In January 2019, Zulu comes back again with the big news, “Now you can send, receive, and manage your Bitcoin easily and securely right from the convenience of popular messaging platforms like Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and SMS (in the US and Canada). Bitcoin is the fourth currency to arrive on Lite.IM after Litecoin (LTC), Ether (ETH) and ZTX were added earlier this year” (source).
The developer of these technologies is the startup “Zulu Republic” which is native of Zug, Switzerland. On their Website they explain that “Zulu Republic is an ecosystem of blockchain tools and platforms, designed as a place where people, businesses and organizations can thrive on their own terms. Our mission is to advance the development of decentralized technologies, to promote human rights and empowerment around the globe, and to reduce the global digital divide.”
Zulu Republic has their platform built on top of the Ethereum Network. They have their own native ER20 token ZTX through which they have rewarded supporters since their launch in September 2018 through airdrops. There is still one more round of airdrops that will occur in the future. About ZTX, they indicate that “Republic Passport holders will also be able to spend ZTX at verified merchants and receive a 5% ZTX bonus on every transaction.”
In August, when the Telegram Litecoin Wallet was launched, it was seen as an excellent tool for people who didn’t understand the Blockchain and Crypto, or even for people who lived in places where connecting to internet is hard. Zulu has shared that they were targeting those places of the world where “internet connectivity is scarce, where the web is censored by autocratic regimes, and where large segments of the population are marginalized by the conventional financial system.”
The technology developed in order to inject crypto wallets into the messenger is called Lite.IM and it is part of a sociological and political manifesto based on Blockchain ideals. The manifesto indicates, “We hereby declare our independence from the status quo, to plant the seed for a collaborative, decentralized economy that works for everyone, anywhere in the world.” It also established five “truths” as the fundamentals of this manifesto (source: https://www.zulurepublic.io).
“1. THAT THE GEOGRAPHY OF ONE’S BIRTH SHOULD NOT DETERMINE THEIR OPPORTUNITIES OR POTENTIAL IN LIFE. THAT EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS TO PURSUE THEIR DREAMS AND CULTIVATE THEIR TALENTS IS HOW TRULY PROSPEROUS SOCIETIES ARE BUILT.”
“2. THAT PHYSICAL BOUNDARIES ARE NO LONGER THE MOST EFFICIENT MEANS OF ORGANIZING HUMAN ENDEAVOR AND COOPERATION.”
“3. THAT PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO CONTROL THEIR OWN IDENTITIES AND FINANCIAL DESTINIES.”
“4. THAT THROUGHOUT HISTORY, TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION HAS BEEN A PROFOUND CATALYST FOR SOCIAL PROGRESS.”
Zulu and Lite.IM prove their vision by conquering powerful platforms and to move even faster than them. In August, they took a step ahead and placed their Bot in Telegram while the platform was announcing their plans to have their own Blockchain, TON, and their own coin, GRAM. Now, they do the same thing. While Facebook seems to be considering entering Crypto, Zulu places Lite.IM inside the giant’s Messenger.
Through Medium, Lite.IM has announced that “With each new update, Lite.IM becomes more and more of a user-friendly cryptocurrency powerhouse, moving us closer and closer to widespread adoption. We’re proud to be bringing the world’s most popular cryptocurrency to the combined 2.5 billion users of Facebook and Telegram, not to mention all those who lack dependable internet access that can now manage Bitcoin via SMS messaging.”
Lite.IM not only offers wallet services within the Facebook Messenger application, but also includes an advanced private key encryption system. Through this service, for any third party – including Facebook – it is impossible to access the information or the wallet or their respective crypto-assets. This would imply that only the user can control the Wallet and their own currencies stored in the Messenger, and that nobody can obtain the private keys.
Zulu Republic is a project that tries to preserve the original principles and ideals of Blockchain development, as it appears in its Manifesto and in the way it is giving away its tokens and sharing advanced technology at no cost with the world. Undoubtedly, these efforts represent noticeable and potentially substantial contributions to the dream of mass adoption. Facebook Messenger implies access for billions of people to Crypto. In the long term, Zulu’s contribution may help attract tens, or even hundreds, of millions of new adopters to Crypto.
Do you think Zulu Republic’s plugin will be massively adopted?
