Jack Dorsey’s Damus may be thwarted by Apple’s strict payment rules

The team behind Damus, a decentralized social messaging app backed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, warned Tuesday that Apple could remove the app from the App Store within 14 days. Apple later countered the threat, but only if Damus agreed to remove certain payment features.

The move could slow down plans to make bitcoin easier to use and turn it into a more convenient multinational digital currency.

Damus said in the original words: Tweet or apple is considering banning the messaging app because it integrates with Lightning Network, a payment protocol that allows users to exchange bitcoins directly over the network without the need for a separate app. In Nostr, the underlying platform that Damus runs on, these types of payments are called: “Zap”.

In a tweet, Damus said Apple was concerned that content creators could use Zap to sell digital content on its platform. Apple has a long history of banning app makers from using in-app payments to sell additional content and add-ons. However, Apple gets a 30% reduction unless the payment is made through Apple.

Damus later added another Tweet Apple says it sees it as “selling digital content,” so app makers must remove the “zap button” on posts.

“Only profile zaps are allowed,” Damus said in a tweet. “This makes women pretty crippled, but they can still zap at least.”

In a statement, Apple said it reviews “all apps based on the same set of guidelines aimed at protecting customers and providing a fair and level playing field for developers.” . The iPhone maker added, “We have confirmed that the Damus app has a feature that allows users to submit tips in connection with digital content within the app. This violates App Store review guidelines.”

Dorsey tweeted “Tips for posts don’t sell digital content. It’s a form of feedback,” he said.

“Why would you restrict people from sending bitcoin to each other?” Dorsey asked. “This is a unique opportunity to build a truly global payment protocol for the Internet (which will benefit your company tremendously).”

Dorsey is also the CEO of a payment company. block (formerly Square) is a cryptocurrency proponent, and Block has made some big bets regarding cryptocurrencies. A system that allows people to “mine” bitcoins — It is the process of running a resource-intensive computer program to validate Bitcoin transactions and create new coins.

Last December, Dorsey donated 14 bitcoins, then worth about $245,000, to the team building Nostr, a decentralized social media initiative intended not to be owned by specific leaders or commercial entities. Nostr users can maintain their identity across multiple of his Nostr-powered apps, such as Damus, and exchange bitcoins with each other over the Lightning Network.

Dorsey, one of Twitter’s co-founders and former CEO, called it the next evolution of social media where users can voice their opinions without being forced to follow the policies of social media operators. has championed decentralized apps.

Many of these platforms don’t have algorithms to recommend specific content. This is a sore point for some of Elon Musk’s Twitter users, who have complained about seeing irrelevant content on Twitter’s “For You” tab since he took office. is. They do not sell ads or collect and sell user data. These are classic ways social networks make money.

Dorsey is also now the backer of the Bluesky messaging app, which is built on a decentralized network technology called the AT protocol. Bluesky, which is still available to users only via invitation, is growing in popularity as hate speech and bugs continue to spur users away from Twitter, but it’s still popular after Tesla’s CEO Musk acquired it last fall. It’s still much smaller than messaging apps.

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