Signal Drops Phone Number Requirement to Simplify Crypto Onboarding

Signal, an open-source instant messaging app, is developing a feature to allow users to register on its network without a phone number. This move aims to remove discrimination and location-based profiling.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has praised the development as 'very welcome news from Signal.' He believes that privacy issues extend beyond identification by phone numbers.

The new feature could simplify privacy-preserving onboarding for wallets, DeFi (Decentralized Finance), and DEX/CEX interactions, ultimately boosting crypto and Web3 adoption. However, it also raises broader challenges in terms of privacy design and implementation.