Can Lightning Network Be Used for Private Messaging?

November 11, 2019, by Marko Vidrih on ALTCOIN MAGAZINE

Lightning Labs developer Joost Jager recently suggested that the Lightning Network can be used, besides fast and scalable payments, also to exchange private messages.

Jager introduced an experimental proof of the Whatsat concept — a version of the Lightning Network that can be used to send private messages. He noted:

“I like to compare private messaging with talking to someone in person privately. We can do this without asking for permission. It is a freedom that is so natural, that we hardly even realize how important it is. As we humans continue to digitize ourselves further every day, I think it makes sense to extend this freedom into the digital domain.”

Whatsat is Jager’s own project, which he does outside of Lightning Labs. At the moment, the application is at an early stage of development.

Jager claims that the ability to add additional data to Lightning payments has always existed, but a recent change in the Lightning Network specifications has standardized the operation of the built-in messaging system.

According to the developer, there are other technologies that can be used to decentralize messaging, however, the Lightning-based solution has some advantages that other applications do not have.

“Lightning is not the only way to decentralize this, but it does have the advantage that it is also a payment network,” he said. “Running any sort of centralized or decentralized service costs money and with lightning it is easy to pay for that on a per-message basis.”

Messaging platforms and social networks find it difficult to achieve “network effects,” so they become more useful as more people use them. But combining payments and messaging can help Lightning.

“It is a question of how many [peer-to-peer] networks you want to participate in. It simplifies things if you get the two major uses, payment and chatting, from a single network,” Jager said.

Sending messages to Lightning is still free. Whatsat is based on the fact that no fee will be charged for a failed payment. According to Jager, the payment reaches the recipient who retrieves the message but does not accept the payment. However, it is unclear how commissions in the network will change if this idea is further developed.

“The network isn’t mature yet and realistic fees still need to be discovered. It is hard to give an estimate now on what the actual costs will be of running a routing node in the future,” Jager said.

According to public figures, Lightning payments currently cost an average of 0.0001 satoshi. The developer noted:

“There surely are people willing to pay for it, but for what price would make it a no-brainer for almost anyone?” Jager asked. “Suppose the average user sends 30 messages per day. That comes down to about 1 satoshi per message with the current Bitcoin exchange rate.”

Author: Marko Vidrih