With 3 "dove", tells you how to change the encryption lightning network messaging mode!

Author | COLIN HARPER

Translator | Fire Fire sauce Zebian | Xu Veyron

Cover photo | CSDN download the visual China

"By using the micro-channel payment network, with the computing power available in today's modern desktop computers, Bitcoin can be extended to handle billions of transactions every day. Send multiple payments transactions in a given micro-channel payment, you can go to the center of the way to send a lot of money to the other party. "

"Bitcoin network Lightning" white paper (Bitcoin Lightning Network white paper) is a seminal document Thaddeus De Laigu (Thaddeus Dryja) and Joseph Poon (Joseph Poon) written Bitcoin two payment networks. This 2016 paper to re-focus the debate focused on the expansion of the scale, because the concept of growth on larger blocks and chains are replaced by new payment channel network and delay the settlement of the chain in large part.

"Bitcoin network Lightning" white paper:

https://lightning.network/lightning-network-paper.pdf

But who would have thought that after four years, developers will not only lightning network as a payment solution, but also regarded as a new method of passing encrypted messages?

Obviously, some far-sighted Bitcoin Developer: Jost Jagger (Joost Jager) and Paul Yi Tuoyi (Paul Itoi) thought.

Although Jagger and Yi Tuoyi each using a different technology transfer mechanisms, but they are driven messaging provides an interesting approach to lightning. They also spread their solution in different ways, Yituo Yi and his team will Sphinx Chat as an application is released, while Jagger directly Whatsat released the source code to the public.

We reported that some news app works at the end of 2019. TLDR: Last update Lightning allows you to add some additional arbitrary data to lightning affairs. For the above message app use case, such data will be the message. As a result, you can like a normal flash trading, free messages sent directly to each other, can also be routed through the network at little cost.

But why use these protocols by default instead choose other encryption messaging it?

The answer is that lightning can provide messaging functionality of traditional encryption options are not available.

Dispersed carrier pigeon

Let's start with some historical trivia : pigeon is one of many means of communication in the First World War. Especially in the tank corps is extremely popular (due at this time the radio is very simple, so they lack other reliable means of communication), when other options (such as phone, flares or messenger) connection fails or is not available, carrier pigeon in this case is safe choice.

But the pigeon very fragile. Because the enemy knows they carry important information, so will these unfortunate fly to intercept and shoot the messenger. Of course, the face of pigeon intercepted nor do anything, the solution is: encryption.

Indeed, the encrypted information in the First World War and many other wars have played a key role. This is more or less solved the problem of interception (if the enemy can not decipher the password, even if he intercepted information is useless).

In the 21st century, encryption technology has become the most discussed in the forefront of national cybersecurity. For example, some government officials for national security interests, the requirements set encryption backdoors in the mainstream consumer technology.

But the problem came. In World War I, a pigeon itself just pass the information carrier, which itself does not provide encryption information, do not provide the decryption key, which are provided by the military intelligence department.

But with electronic communication, message app itself may generate a message transmission method for encrypting. Therefore, in many cases, unless you or the god of technology to review and validate the code, otherwise only in the case of developers to keep its promise, these applications can be used to encrypt chat information you send confidential. This is why most people only believe Signal Bitcoin and other open source applications are safe, but WhatsApp and Telegram and other applications are less credible.

Thus, when using a conventional cryptographic messaging program, often a single point of failure occurs. You trust a centralized entity (but did not review its code), it sent a message can be decrypted only by you and the recipient - there is no back door. And you would not bet the government to gain access to these companies by applying pressure (also possible that they have access to a).

Instead, the message delivery is dependent on the lightning network infrastructure bit credits to the center of the secondary network. Means about 11,000 (known) common node lightning network messages routed through the network Tor similar, without any central arbiter. You can send by establishing a direct channel between the recipient and the message directly to them, you do not need any intermediate nodes.

Like Jagger said when accepting "Bitcoin" magazine interview in November 2019, during lightning network encryption chat, you can not knock down the center pillar.

He said: "unique in that it does not involve the central server, there is no single switch can turn off all communication, or more selectively reject certain user communication."

Private carrier pigeon

Lightning information has another advantage, and that is more intimate.

This is believed to be more intimate view flash trading is the same. Because they are basically onion network routing, the path would be lost each piece of information passes through its hop network. If a node is responsible for 50% or more message routing, then the path from the sender to a receiver comprising a peer node other than interconnection are possible.

Therefore, in some cases, for your information channel set up direct payments might be a better privacy policy.

Jagger said the chat by lightning but also make it difficult to find in the end is who and who in exchange. It does not require direct (observable) TCP / IP connection between the user and there is no communication path can be reconstructed central server.

Of course, as noted above, routing messages theoretically can still go anonymized. But, as Jagger said: " Privacy and security are concepts are relative."

Compared with traditional methods, it still has more privacy, and even if the sender node knows who is still unable to intercept or decode messages.

Clumsy pigeon

Finally, censorship-resistant and privacy aspects lightning news compared with traditional encryption chat advantage.

But this does not mean that it is perfect, it does not mean that people will treat it as the best choice. As we have seen in bitcoins and FOSS, the decentralized option is usually the most difficult on a large scale, for the novice user it might also be the most difficult to master.

Jagger believes, however, a message can be processed simultaneously and payment schemes may still be a killer application. More importantly, it builds a non-communication licenses and uncensored. In fact, decentralized currency is likely a great need for such a tool, just as it needs to go as the center of identity.

Jagger said: "The key advantage is the integration of identity in one payment and exchange two abilities Our core belief is that 'privacy and lightning to review the resistance payments provided should also apply to speech', will use lightning to chat. as the popularity of credit acceleration bit exchange medium. "

So Bitcoin and the public will embrace the lightning news? Sphinx Chat is currently in closed beta, we will soon know whether the program in line with expectations. Jagger believe that people will use alternatives to lightning-based default, such as Equifax such vulnerabilities (as well as 'code encryption chat services built into their designs back door' of this gruesome reality) led to a centralized Serviced distrust.

Therefore, the fate of pending private online communications to strengthen supervision in this era of government without interruption, new use cases may Lightning Online sovereignty is essential for the establishment.

Original: https: //bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/how-the-lighting-network-could-improve-encrypted-messaging

This article CSDN translation, please indicate the source of the source.

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