Merge pull request #107 from thebrandonlucas/migrate-substack

Migrate Substack Articles to `blog/`

Author: thebrandonlucas

blog/2023-04-14-now-accepting-payjoin.md

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+---
+title: Now Accepting Payjoin
+description: An old bitcoin privacy technique gets its wings
+date: 2023-04-14
+authors: dangould
+---
+
+The new payjoin client is live 🖖 [Payjoin.org](https://payjoin.org)
+launched the ability to send and receive payjoin from the static website
+using new Payjoin Software Development Kit. The response proved demand
+for better ways to collect payments without revealing the destination of
+those funds to the public. This experiement created loads of feedback we
+can use to help your favorite wallets and business integrate this
+bitcoin privacy upgrade.
+
+<!-- truncate -->
+
+## **Decrypt Covers Payjoin**
+
+Alyssa Hertig broke down the goals of payjoin.org and how it works into
+prose rather than jargon:
+
+> PayJoins are different. They\'re a CoinJoin between just two
+> users---the buyer and the merchant---at the time of sale. As such,
+> PayJoins can be baked into the process of buying anything with
+> Bitcoin.
+
+Check it out [here on
+Decrypt](https://decrypt.co/126075/bitcoin-privacy-tool-confuse-surveillance-companies).
+Share it with a skeptic, their mind might change.
+
+## **Geyser Campaign**
+
+[The Payjoin project has raised two million sats on
+Geyser](https://geyser.fund/project/payjoin/), enough to run basic
+payjoin server infrastructure for more than a year! Funders are eligible
+for a [Payjoin Supporter nostr
+badge](https://badges.page/b/naddr1qqghqctedfhkjm3dwd6hqur0wf6x2uszyqn9sd3vxym742qpltjqf03kllyqu94xr3p63ydr5prta39h9eyc5qcyqqq82wg0z8tmw)
+for their support.
+
+<img alt="Geyser Payjoin" src="/img/payjoin-geyser.png" />
+
+## **A How-to Deep Dive**
+
+When payjoin.org was put up a few weeks back, there was a demand for a
+step by step walkthrough of the process. In particular, the feedback
+asked for an explanation of what the Payjoin SDK does so that payjoin
+could be implemented it in other languages than Rust too. I'm publishing
+[this early
+draft](https://github.com/payjoin/rust-payjoin/blob/66ab3c39e64c3769c78df161b57a006bb22105db/MENTAL-MODEL.md)
+for feedback in an effort to answer that demand; build, show, and tell,
+more in public; and to kickstart foreign language bindings support. It
+should also help the Summer of Bitcoin students [get payjoin into the
+Bitcoin Dev
+Kit](https://github.com/payjoin/rust-payjoin/blob/66ab3c39e64c3769c78df161b57a006bb22105db/MENTAL-MODEL.md).
+
+## **Bonus Podcast: Global Bitcoin Fest Taiwan 🎧**
+
+My heart is in Taiwan, and its bitcoin scene is taking off. Virtually
+all of the ASIC chips for miners are manufactured there. Listen for a
+history and the future of bitcoin business, manufacturing, policy, and
+culture in Taiwan. It's worth a listen.
+
+<iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?auto_play=false&amp;buying=false&amp;liking=false&amp;download=false&amp;sharing=false&amp;show_artwork=true&amp;show_comments=false&amp;show_playcount=false&amp;show_user=true&amp;hide_related=true&amp;visual=false&amp;start_track=0&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F1491366769" frameborder="0" gesture="media" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
+
+Wishing the best weekend to you & yours,
+
+Dan

blog/2023-04-25-what-does-privacy-mean.md

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+---
+title: What Does Privacy Mean?
+description: We want encryption for trade. What is that?
+date: 2023-04-25
+authors: dangould
+---
+
+In February 2009 Satoshi
+[posted](https://satoshi.nakamotoinstitute.org/posts/p2pfoundation/1/):
+"The root problem with conventional currency is all the trust that\'s
+required. ... **Before strong encryption**... privacy could always be
+overridden by the admin based on his judgment call weighing the
+principle of privacy against other concerns, or at the behest of his
+superiors." Since the people we do business with and often even
+strangers may override bitcoin privacy I have to ask, **if**
+**communications privacy is protected by strong encryption, what keeps
+the transfer of value private?** The other day, Max Hillebrand
+[noted](https://damus.io/note1nxgydgv7aanqll7ge76nwquyku830k6ve7v28v75h4w5785yxktsaw6jug)
+his "hope" that existing bitcoin tech has already achieved the same
+level of security in response to Satoshi's words. Crypanalysis defines
+security against specific attacks a system can be proven to defend from.
+The tech on offer does not do this to my standard. I know we can extend
+that tradition and analogy to define the makings of secure value
+transfer and deliver it with guarantees.
+
+<!-- truncate -->
+
+## Guarantee some Privacy
+
+The most basic guarantee is to break the most common pattern strangers
+use to spy on bitcoin users. That's what payjoin does, and why it fits
+into bitcoin exchange process to protect consumer privacy. This past
+week we drafted the the payjoin integration with bitcoin exchange
+software. The most advanced bitcoin exchange in Canada wants to upgrade
+first. There's so much more here that I want to blurt out but I'll keep
+it simple for now. **If you want payjoin in software you use, have the
+developers visit [payjoin.org](https://payjoin.org) and message me.**
+
+## Interview Inbound
+
+In a recent interview I got into the details of so-called "taint"
+analysis, how payjoin complements existing privacy tools, and the
+history and progress of bitcoin privacy enhancement. Stay tuned for the
+announcment.
+
+## Payjoin on iOS, Android, and MacOS
+
+BlueWallet fixed payjoin in their [latest
+release](https://github.com/BlueWallet/BlueWallet/releases/tag/v6.4.1).
+The [list](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/PayJoin_adoption) of payjoin
+capable software continues to grow. Can't wait to see who supports
+bitcoin privacy next.
+
+Thank you for yours.
+
+All the best to you,
+
+Dan

blog/2023-05-03-tracking-growth-in-payjoin-adoption.md

@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+---
+title: Tracking Growth in Payjoin Adoption
+description: Dual-funding, Cahoots, ... SNICKER, and LNURL?
+date: 2023-05-03
+authors: dangould
+---
+
+[Payjoin adoption](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/PayJoin_adoption) has been
+increasing steadily since its introduction in 2018. Payjoin started as a
+privacy-enhancing technique to allow merchants to combine their Bitcoin
+with customers, to save fees, and to better secure the origin and
+destination of their funds. It makes it more difficult for third parties
+to track and analyze Bitcoin transactions in general, which is a
+significant benefit for anyone who values financial privacy. This past
+week I documented the growth of the technology in a few big tables on
+the Bitcoin wiki.
+
+<!-- truncate -->
+
+::: captioned-image-container
+<figure>
+<a
+href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hQ2P!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f86ee7e-a0f6-45a4-b2f5-d76c6fde10fb_1193x1239.png"
+class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank"
+data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"></a>
+<div class="image2-inset">
+<img
+src="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8f86ee7e-a0f6-45a4-b2f5-d76c6fde10fb_1193x1239.png"
+title="The table of payjoin adoption status from the wiki"
+class="sizing-normal"
+data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8f86ee7e-a0f6-45a4-b2f5-d76c6fde10fb_1193x1239.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1239,&quot;width&quot;:1193,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:350794,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;The table of payjoin adoption status from the wiki&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}"
+srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hQ2P!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f86ee7e-a0f6-45a4-b2f5-d76c6fde10fb_1193x1239.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hQ2P!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f86ee7e-a0f6-45a4-b2f5-d76c6fde10fb_1193x1239.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hQ2P!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f86ee7e-a0f6-45a4-b2f5-d76c6fde10fb_1193x1239.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hQ2P!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f86ee7e-a0f6-45a4-b2f5-d76c6fde10fb_1193x1239.png 1456w"
+sizes="100vw" data-fetchpriority="high" width="1193" height="1239"
+alt="The table of payjoin adoption status from the wiki" />
+<div class="image-link-expand">
+<div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset">
+<div class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container restack-image">
+<img
+src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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"
+class="lucide lucide-refresh-cw" />
+</div>
+<div class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container view-image">
+<img
+src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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"
+class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2" />
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</figure>
+:::
+
+The BIP78 payjoin protocol has been gaining traction in recent years and
+is now supported by several wallets beyond merchants. Recent additions
+include the [BitMask](https://bitmask.app) browser extension (mainnet
+launch impending),
+[nolooking](https://github.com/chaincase-app/nolooking) for LND, and
+[payjoin-client](https://github.com/payjoin/rust-payjoin) for Bitcoin
+Core. BIP78 allows sender and recipient to negotiate a payjoin
+transaction over the web, by allowing both parties to contribute
+transaction inputs. This foils the primary heuristic strangers use to
+surveil Bitcoin users. This protocol is gaining popularity as more users
+become aware of its benefits and as more wallets support it. Still more
+payjoins are made with protocols other than the most popular BIP78 even
+if those making them might not think of them that way.
+
+## Payjoin Beyond BIP78
+
+In addition to BIP78, there are other ways to spend Bitcoin with inputs
+from multiple sources that are still fundamentally payjoin transactions,
+too. Having included them on the [Payjoin
+Adoption](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/PayJoin_adoption) page their
+relationship to payjoin should be examined.
+
+[Dual-funded channels](https://bitcoinops.org/en/topics/dual-funding/)
+(DFC) are a type of Lightning Network channel where both channel peers
+contribute funds to the channel, rather than just one. This allows them
+to transact on the Lightning Network in both directions in contrast to
+channels with a source of funds on only one side. This can reduce
+transaction costs and increase transaction speed. Sometimes classical
+payjoins are called, Pay-to-Endpoint (P2EP), with emphasis on their
+coordination using an interactive web address instead of a static
+bitcoin address. Like P2EP, Lightning nodes establish channels via
+publically addressable identifier.
+
+Cahoots's Stowaway and Stonewallx2 are two other privacy-enhancing
+Bitcoin transaction methods that combine inputs and outputs between
+users to secure transaction details. Stowaway makes a payjoin, while
+Stonewallx2 makes a 2-party equal ouptut CoinJoin. Cahoots methods use a
+Tor-based
+[Soroban](https://medium.com/samourai-wallet/wallet-update-0-99-96-introducing-soroban-adc9a36a7ddb)
+rendezvous to a [PayNym](https://paynym.is/). PayNym serves as an
+endpoint that can be looked up in a public directory to establish secure
+connection over Tor relays.
+
+## Payjoin sans P2EP
+
+[SNICKER](https://gist.github.com/AdamISZ/2c13fb5819bd469ca318156e2cf25d79)
+is another type of transaction where multiple users contribute input to
+a transaction. Unlike P2EP, its users scan public data on the blockchain
+to find eligible counterparties. They transact without ever
+communicating directly. The SNICKER proposal is focused on equal amount
+CoinJoins, but could in theory be used to make transactions including
+transfers like payjoin, too (although between non-input-contributing
+users). Because it's non-interactive and common-input heuristic
+breaking, it serves us here to distinguish between payjoin and P2EP.
+
+## P2EP sans Payjoin
+
+[LNURL](https://github.com/lnurl/luds/blob/luds/01.md) is a protocol for
+generating Lightning Network payment requests and for providing
+additional Lightning-related information over the web. It enables
+Lightning wallets and services to provide users with QR codes or links
+that can be used to initiate Lightning payments or to access additional
+Lightning-related features. LNURL can also be used to facilitate other
+Lightning-related tasks such as opening channels and managing liquidity.
+Being [nonchalantly ubiquitous](https://github.com/lnurl/luds#services)
+in the lightning world, it proves the pay-to-endpoint concept is
+convenient and valuable to users.
+
+My week had a few interruptions, so I made the most of it by collecting
+all of the payjoin projects evaluations in pockets of free time. Ready
+to evaluate payjoin for your project? Get in touch.
+
+Have a great week.
+
+Dan