Human Rights Foundation Backs Bitcoin Bug Bounty to Empower Activists Worldwide

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Ruholamin Haqshanas

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Ruholamin Haqshanas

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Ruholamin Haqshanas is a contributing crypto writer for CryptoNews. He is a crypto and finance journalist with over four years of experience. Ruholamin has been featured in several high-profile crypto...

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July 30, 2023 06:04 EDT

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The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is offering Bitcoin (BTC) bug bounties in a bid to improve Bitcoin and the Lightning Network.

The organization has issued 10 bounties, each 2 BTC, worth around $58,500 at current rates, aimed at supporting the development of Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, according to an official announcement. 

“An individual or team who fully solves any of the ten challenges will be eligible to receive a bounty of 2 BTC,” the announcement read. 

The HRF said on its website that additional bounties may be added in the future.

One of the bug bounty challenges focuses on improving the user interface (UI) for Bitcoin projects. Currently, these projects heavily rely on proprietary design software called Figma. 

The goal is to provide developers with free access to a Bitcoin UI guide, allowing for more streamlined and user-friendly experiences.

Another challenge aims to expand and strengthen the development of Nostr, an open-source and censorship-resistant social network. 

Nostr, backed by Jack Dorsey, has gained significant attention in recent months, particularly among the more technically inclined crypto community.

The HRF is also offering bounties to enhance Bitcoin wallets. 

One specific challenge involves the ability to generate and memorize seed phrases when crossing borders, as this is a common practice for users seeking to maintain privacy and security. 

Supporting this practice worldwide aligns with the HRF’s mission to promote financial freedom for dissidents and human rights activists.

The 20 BTC funding for these bounties comes from the HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund, a branch of the organization dedicated to expanding financial freedom.

Bitcoin Activists Can Make Submissions Until December 2024

The HRF team said they welcome applications for these bounties until December 31, 2024. 

All submissions will be shared with external industry experts for verification, the team said, adding that any unclaimed bounties will be allocated back to the HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund.

This is not the first time the HRF has launched a Bitcoin bounty program.

In December 2021, the organization partnered with the Lightning Network payments platform Strike for a similar initiative. The contest consisted of three challenges, each worth 3 BTC, and ran until December 31, 2022.

By offering bug bounties, the HRF aims to encourage developers to contribute to the improvement of Bitcoin’s usability, privacy, and security. 

“The Human Rights Foundation is supporting open-source developers working to increase the usability and privacy of the Bitcoin and Lightning network, E-cash, and Nostr, inspired by HRF’s research around the world with regard to what kind of functionality activists need today in their digital tools,” the team said in the recent announcement.