The Open Network (TON) has announced the release of an on-chain encrypted messaging feature, allowing private messages between TON users. Previously, users could post on-chain messages. However, these were unencrypted and available to the public. Encrypted Transaction Messages The announcement was made on the 3rd of July by the TON Foundation. The TON blockchain network was forked from code that was created by the team behind the Telegram instant messaging app. However, the project was abandoned in 2020, but not before the team open-sourced TON’s code. This allowed others to pick up from where the original team left off. The current network was created by the TON Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to promote TON among developers and users. According to the TON Foundation, the network gives users far greater scalability and transaction throughput than other options available in the Web3 ecosystem while also offering a high level of decentralization. TON has always allowed users to send personalized messages when conducting transactions or sending NFTs to each other. However, these messages were completely public. With the introduction of the new feature, users can encrypt the messages end-to-end, meaning only the intended recipient will be able to view the message. The feature is a welcome addition to TON’s already highly secure platform. Furthermore, to increase the availability of the new service, the charge to send an encrypted message through the TON blockchain has been set at 0.006 Toncoin (TON) per transaction. Core developer at the TON Foundation, Anatoly Makosov, stated, “When sending Toncoin, Jettons, or NFTs on TON, you have always been able to include a text for the recipient such as ‘for coffee’ or ‘happy birthday,’ thereby personalizing the interaction. Now this popular feature [...] is available with full encryption.” He further added “Even in the event of an apocalypse and the failure of conventional messenger servers, you will retain the ability to send messages via the decentralized TON blockchain.” In such a scenario, TON could serve as a reliable and secure method of communication. TON Working Towards Accelerating Ecosystem The TON Foundation has been at the heart of rebuilding the TON ecosystem and attracting Web 3.0 developers and builders. In April 2022, TON users collectively donated $1 billion to the foundation and its efforts to advance the TON ecosystem. The donations in question were made over a ten-day window starting on the 7th of April, 2022. In total, around 527 million TON, equalling just over $1 billion, were donated by users, primarily TON whales. In May 2023, the TON Foundation enlisted the blockchain data platform Chainalysis with plans to utilize its Crypto Incident Response Service to provide round-the-clock support in the event of a hack or exploit. By partnering with Chainalysys, TON can access a robust and proven way to combat hacks or other unauthorized intrusions. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
