ProtonMail, a service that offers encrypted emails to privacy-minded individuals, may be starting an ICO at some point in the future—or it may work on a blockchain-based implementation of its software—according to a job posting we saw on the service’s website.
Our knowledge of this came from a post on Twitter by Lucas Betschart, president of Bitcoin Association in Switzerland, on Monday.
https://twitter.com/lucas_lclc/status/1021290974637588480
The job posting is for a blockchain developer based in Geneva, Zurich, or San Francisco, and the company hints at blockchain-related activities in the future.
“Over the years, we have integrated Bitcoin as a form of payment and have become the go-to email for cryptocurrency users demanding the best security. Looking forward, we have some exciting blockchain-related ventures underway,” the company wrote in its post.
Among the qualifications it prefers from its ideal candidates are the ability to operate “full blockchain nodes and wallets” and having “participated in [a] successful ICO.”
The thing that convinces us most about the idea that ProtonMail might be doing an ICO, however, is the fact that it’s looking for candidates who are experts “in developing secure Ethereum smart contracts.”
ProtonMail is a much-beloved service for people on the dark web as well, owing to the fact that it operates a hidden service on the Tor protocol that could be used in parallel with one’s “clear web” identity. It allows people to contact each other with a balance of convenience and anonymity when done correctly, which makes it a highly favorable service for people who transact with cryptocurrencies.
Nonetheless, people doing overtly criminal activities on the dark web will continue to spark the interest of authorities, making them a target regardless of how careful they are. A month ago, the FBI seized thousands of Bitcoin from such an illegal operation.
Seeing as ProtonMail has such an affinity in the cryptocurrency community, the next logical step would be to fully embrace the blockchain and get into the ICO business. We’ll keep following this as it develops.
This article appeared first on Cryptovest
