Pre-Proposal: DASH TEXT - SMS Wallets for Everyone (Exclusively for Dash) - FIRST STAGE VENEZUELA

[ec1warc1]

I met every member of this team at CriptoLatinFest in Bogota, Colombia (June 2018). I believe in them as members of the community. They are hard workers and knowledgeable about Dash and Crypto.

• Will each user have a different public Dash address that he can review on a blockchain explorer? Who will have access to the private keys?
• If this new project receives funding, how will working on it effect your other projects that are already funded and in progress?

Thank you!
ec1warc1

 

[LorenzoRey]

I met every member of this team at CriptoLatinFest in Bogota, Colombia (June 2018). I believe in them as members of the community. They are hard workers and knowledgeable about Dash and Crypto.

• Will each user have a different public Dash address that he can review on a blockchain explorer? Who will have access to the private keys?
• If this new project receives funding, how will working on it effect your other projects that are already funded and in progress?

Thank you!
ec1warc1

Hello Edward! thanks for your comment and support, regarding your questions:

- Totally, phone numbers will be used as seeds to generate keypairs which generate addresses, these addresses are unique to each individual and people can look them up in any explorer. BlockCypher handles these keys. If you want to claim your private keys DashText will provide a command for people to get them, with added security steps of course. However, it’s much safer not to broadcast your private key over SMS. And for the use cases of these wallets, access to your address is more than enough for most people.
- This project will not affect our other projects in any regard, since the majority of the development is being done by a fresh team of developers that I am leading.

Thanks again for your support Edward!
-Lorenzo Rey

 

[ec1warc1]

@LorenzoRey I agree, sending a private key over SMS is a bad idea. It would be better to request that the user send his Dash to a different wallet, one that he controls. What other reason could there be to request the private key? Could you explain a little more what you mean by "BlockCypher handles these keys"?

Also:

• how will working on this new project effect your other projects that are already funded and in progress?

 

[LorenzoRey]

@LorenzoRey I agree, sending a private key over SMS is a bad idea. It would be better to request that the user send his Dash to a different wallet, one that he controls. What other reason could there be to request the private key? Could you explain a little more what you mean by "BlockCypher handles these keys"?

Also:

• how will working on this new project effect your other projects that are already funded and in progress?

Yes, BlockCypher is a well known BlockChain Solutions company, they are allies to Dash.

Regarding your other question, I mistakenly hit the "post reply" button before finishing the entire post, so I edited it with the answer, however I will paste it in this reply as well:

"- This project will not affect our other projects in any regard, since the majority of the development is being done by a fresh team of developers that I am leading."

I should also add that there's is synergy between the projects. Dash Help will be providing official support to Dash Text. So any questions or doubts you have as a user you can easily give us a call or use our live chat or ticket support on our website.

And also this will help us in the Dash Merchant program, Dash Text wallets are perfect for merchants who operate in places with bad reception, and are also great in our freelancer program, we can now have more people working to bring us more merchants since they can be paid via SMS !

Thanks again for you comment

-Lorenzo Rey

 

[Dash R. Dominicana]

me gusta esta propuesta, aquí en Republica Dominicana se usan muchos los mensajes de texto para operaciones de los "colmados" pequeños negocios en las calles del país "bodegas" en Venezuela. puede servir mucho para la red de pagos, esperaremos a ver como evoluciona y luego expandirlo por acá. saludos.

 

[jose larez]

The idea is not bad, I really like this proposal.

But I think there is a shortage in the security part about the wallets that should be clarified in their proposal document or that should be integrated, although it does provide a solution to people who do not have the purchasing power to have a smart phone and we know that having a wallet of a dash in a smart phone is very safe, placing a use case: I as a user of DashText, how can i know that I am safe when using the platform, it would be ideal to clarify how security works and how they will make Dashtext users feel safe. Taking into account that users of DashText in Venezuela without purchasing power of a smart phone, are sure to be with their phones walking on the street, which would make me feel safe knowing that my non-smart phone could be stolen? and the funds with her too, or that my phone number could be cloned? I think that is what should be clarified before more than one solution becomes a problem for people.

Regards!

 

[LorenzoRey]

Lorenzo, you said above you are not holding users funds, so users are not depositing Dash into an address for which you control the private key? Then users would need a smartphone app or light server running somewhere else that can sign their own transactions and respond to the SMS API calls ?

We generate the wallets using Blockcypher, so they hold the funds, they are a respected blockchain solutions company and an ally to Dash. Users don't need to run any additional software what so ever.

-Lorenzo Rey

 

[LorenzoRey]

Hi everybody how are you! I think it's not good or very good, but it's EXCELLENT! I'm going to mention my reason why:

1. Connectivity and use: In Venezuela, we are experiencing a very difficult situation with connectivity, not only from the Internet connection, but also at the level of telecommunications operators, since there are areas where coverage at the Data service is non existent and to be take others options.

2. Technical Feasibility: Now this moment, several banking institutions use SMS messaging as a means of mobile payment, and a large flow of daily transactions is made. If banks are using P2P as an alternative to the means of payment, I believe that our as a community can create and develop something much better for Dash users.

3. Massification, adoption and use: I have an idea that I am developing (Possible Startup), Where can I use at Dash as a means of payment. This proposal that you are offering covered an existing and valid need in regions where Internet access is limited, where should can use 2G mobile coverage which is currently what exists in those areas of the country. From own experience that there are areas of the country where CDMA1X technology is still used for technical feasibility. This would allow many people to adopt and use DASH as a means of payment for products and services in the remote area where the limitations exist.

4. Economic and social development: a community where the economy can be promoted and their education, can make its sustainable as well as more advanced prepared for the adoption of other projects or businesses related not only to Dash but also to other means of payment in the medium or long term.

5. Tropicalization and validation: The success of this project and that are stakeholders to it can be repeated in countries where they have the same variables or conditions, countries in Africa, the Middle East remote areas where connectivity is reduced and lead to the tropicalization of this tool.

I'm really excited to see these things, to be done here in Venezuela and with export quality, where you can meet needs, leverage them and in turn allow us to move forward as a sustainable community and sustainable society. Count on my vote!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

¡Hola a todos como están! ¡Me parece no Bueno ni muy Bueno sino EXCELENTE su propuesta! Les voy a mencionar el por qué:

1. Conectividad y uso: En Venezuela estamos viviendo una situación muy difícil con la conectividad, no solo de parte de la fluidez de la conexión a internet, sino también a nivel de las operadoras de telecomunicaciones, ya que existen áreas donde la cobertura a nivel de servicio de datos es inexistente y se tiene que recurrir a otras opciones.

2. Factibilidad técnica disponible: Actualmente varias instituciones bancarias usan como medio de pago móvil la mensajería SMS, permitiendo así realizar un gran flujo de transacciones diariamente. Si los bancos están usando los P2P como alternativa a los medios de pago, creo que ustedes como comunidad puede crear y desarrollar algo muchísimo mejor para los usuarios Dash.

3. Masificación, adopción y uso: Yo actualmente tengo una idea que estoy desarrollando (una posible startup) donde se pueda integrar a Dash como medio de pago, esta idea que ustedes están proponiendo cubre una necesidad existente y valida en regiones donde el acceso a internet es limitado o nulo, solamente donde puedan usar cobertura móvil 2G que actualmente es lo que existe en esas zonas del país, por experiencia propia se que hay áreas del país donde todavía se utiliza tecnología CDMA1X por factibilidad técnica. Esto permitiría que muchas personas adopten y usen la cripto como medio de pago para productos y servicios en zona remotas donde existan las limitaciones.

4. Desarrollo económico y social: Una comunidad donde se pueda impulsar la economía y a su vez promover su educación dará sustentabilidad y sostenibilidad a la misma, así estarán más adelantadas y preparadas para la adopción de otros proyectos o negocios relacionados no solo con Dash sino con otros medios de pago a mediano o largo plazo.

5. Tropicalización y validación: El éxito de este proyecto y que vayan asociados con el mismo podrán replicarse en países donde presenten las mismas variables o condiciones, países de África, Medio oriente o zonas remotas donde la conectividad sea mermada y conlleven a la tropicalización de esta herramienta.

De verdad me emociona ver estas cosas, que se hagan acá en Venezuela y con calidad de exportación, donde se pueden cubrir necesidades, apalancarse en ellas y que a su vez nos permitan avanzar como comunidad sostenible y ser sociedad sustentable. ¡Cuenten con mi voto!

Hello Manuel! Completely agree with everything you said, thanks for taking the time to write such an elaborate response to this pre-proposal. Comments like yours give us extra energy to work even harder. Thank you so much for your support Hermano!

-Lorenzo Rey

 

[LorenzoRey]

me gusta esta propuesta, aquí en Republica Dominicana se usan muchos los mensajes de texto para operaciones de los "colmados" pequeños negocios en las calles del país "bodegas" en Venezuela. puede servir mucho para la red de pagos, esperaremos a ver como evoluciona y luego expandirlo por acá. saludos.

Gracias por el apoyo! Esperamos que Dash Text se utilice en el futuro en muchos "colmados". Jaja

-Lorenzo Rey

 

[LorenzoRey]

The idea is not bad, I really like this proposal.

But I think there is a shortage in the security part about the wallets that should be clarified in their proposal document or that should be integrated, although it does provide a solution to people who do not have the purchasing power to have a smart phone and we know that having a wallet of a dash in a smart phone is very safe, placing a use case: I as a user of DashText, how can i know that I am safe when using the platform, it would be ideal to clarify how security works and how they will make Dashtext users feel safe. Taking into account that users of DashText in Venezuela without purchasing power of a smart phone, are sure to be with their phones walking on the street, which would make me feel safe knowing that my non-smart phone could be stolen? and the funds with her too, or that my phone number could be cloned? I think that is what should be clarified before more than one solution becomes a problem for people.

Regards!

Hello Jose, thanks for your support, very good questions, we will publish an FAQ with a lot of focus on security when we publish the proposal on DashCentral. But for now I can give you the following answers:

- Dash Text wallets are not meant to be your primary tool for storing your funds, for example, you got cash in your physical wallet and someone steals it from you, you just lost those funds. Just like you shouldn't carry all your fiat money in your pocket, you shouldn't carry all your Dash in a Dash Text wallet, these are wallets for microtransactions and to make your life easier in the streets, we will be very clear about this when marketing the product.

-However Dash Text wallets will be safer than just cash in your pocket, funds are controlled by the phone number, if someone steals your phone, you can just call the phone company and report that SIM card as stolen and they will shut it down, then you just ask them for a new SIM card with the same phone number and you'll have access to your funds again in your new phone.

-Phone cloning is a very unlikely scenario and one that requires a lot of work from the attacker, since these wallets are not meant to store much funds, we do not see an incentive here for thieves. However we will explore other possibilities to defend users against this type of threat.

Thanks again for your questions!

-Lorenzo Rey

 

[Johnny Reyes]

Great idea Lorenzo.

I believe that if you can really control the security in this proposal (technical details), this will be the key access to many people not only in Venezuela but all around the world with 3rd world problems. We are not just talking about the possibilities to have or not a smart phone, but the internet conection in some of this countries is really bad, so this will help Dash to be used anywhere. Keep up with it and keep making this community grater.

Regards

 

[GrandMasterDash]

Hello Jose, thanks for your support, very good questions, we will publish an FAQ with a lot of focus on security when we publish the proposal on DashCentral. But for now I can give you the following answers:

- Dash Text wallets are not meant to be your primary tool for storing your funds, for example, you got cash in your physical wallet and someone steals it from you, you just lost those funds. Just like you shouldn't carry all your fiat money in your pocket, you shouldn't carry all your Dash in a Dash Text wallet, these are wallets for microtransactions and to make your life easier in the streets, we will be very clear about this when marketing the product.

-However Dash Text wallets will be safer than just cash in your pocket, funds are controlled by the phone number, if someone steals your phone, you can just call the phone company and report that SIM card as stolen and they will shut it down, then you just ask them for a new SIM card with the same phone number and you'll have access to your funds again in your new phone.

-Phone cloning is a very unlikely scenario and one that requires a lot of work from the attacker, since these wallets are not meant to store much funds, we do not see an incentive here for thieves. However we will explore other possibilities to defend users against this type of threat.

Thanks again for your questions!

-Lorenzo Rey

First you say the phone can be blocked, but then you say the phone company can re-enable a new phone with an old number. This is exactly one of the methods of a hacker; they use social engineering to enable a new phone with an old number, thus gaining control of the dash text wallet. A smartphone can mitigate against such attacks e.g. Signal uses a registration lock pin.

You have moved responsibility to others. You have moved private key management to BlockCypher and wallet control / recovery to the phone provider.

You have also suggested that smartphones are not readily accessible to Venezuelans e.g. too expensive, or the lower end phones are too slow for dash wallet. In which case, you bring into question the validity of all the work that has taken place in Venezuela to date e.g. only being able to reach 40% of the population due to expensive / slow phones.

 

[blockchaintech]

I commented to you, so that you estimate it if it arrives to present itself to the treasury.

I recently participated in some meetings, where the use of the GSM system (basic system of mobile phone) and sending of SMS were discussed, and the statistics of the operators were very conclusive.
Today everyone has a smartphone, with a minimum 3G connection to the Internet. and they communicate through the Internet through wsapp, telegram, etc.

Access to a second-hand smartphone is very easy, the African dash colleagues will be able to inform you about this, since the African population has mostly smartphones, and they have worse communication infrastructures.
If people use 'the perolito' is their decision, so I understand that they have 2 phones the Smartphone and 'the perolito', they must decide what to use according to their needs.

The matter is simple: a smartphone requires a level of training and that people are willing to be trained in the use of new technologies that involves having a pocket computer, and that is digital literacy, and in the world there are many people with a low level of training in digital skills.

The cost of sending a sms, can be 30-40 ctm of $ / eur, (similar to a bitcoin fee), which must be added the cost of the fee for the service to be self-sufficient and lasting over time and no flower for 3 months of treasury.

There are already projects in BTC and BCH of little success that cover this small market of use.
Ejem: https://cointext.io/regions/

In addition, they have support to several continents not only Venezuela (country), and if you do not support instandsend or privatesend, ('impossible' in sms txt) there is no competitive advantage.

Invest + of 100 tokens, when the treasury can have other international projects with a more interesting ROI I consider it to waste time and very scarce resources today.

It would be more interesting that from the support of Dash's Venezuela, you would promote the migration of your compatriots to smartphone, and if they steal your smartphone, a problem that can happen in Venezuela, USA, Brazil, UK, etc.
They Have training in recovering your wallet in another phone.


Thanks for your pre-proposal.

 

[LorenzoRey]

First you say the phone can be blocked, but then you say the phone company can re-enable a new phone with an old number. This is exactly one of the methods of a hacker; they use social engineering to enable a new phone with an old number, thus gaining control of the dash text wallet. A smartphone can mitigate against such attacks e.g. Signal uses a registration lock pin.

You have moved responsibility to others. You have moved private key management to BlockCypher and wallet control / recovery to the phone provider.

You have also suggested that smartphones are not readily accessible to Venezuelans e.g. too expensive, or the lower end phones are too slow for dash wallet. In which case, you bring into question the validity of all the work that has taken place in Venezuela to date e.g. only being able to reach 40% of the population due to expensive / slow phones.

-Hello GrandmMasterDash! Phone companies can block a phone number and re-enable it on a new phone in both dumb phones and smartphones. Regarding the hacking, these are wallets made for casual use, we see no incentive for a hacker to go thru all the trouble to hack a wallet that will probably only have 1-5 USD in Dash. For example, is a vending machine secure ? It absolutely is for it's use case, if someone really really wants to break it they might do it putting a ton of effort, but it's not worth it because the content of the vending machine is not worth the trouble. There is usually a inverse relation between utility and security, for example, mobile SPV wallets are less secure than a QT wallet, but are more convenient, you shouldn't hold all your funds in an SPV wallet either, SPV wallets do not have a full copy of the blockchain and are thus, susceptible to a various range of attacks, but their level of security is good enough for their use cases, since most people won't hold all their funds in them anyways.

-We are sad you think we moved responsibility to others, that's not the case, it's just that if you want to bring people an SMS service, you need phone companies, and if you want to bring reliable wallet management, don't you think it is safer to use a well known provider such as Blockcypher, who are also allies to Dash? The tipping bot we use in discord uses Blockcypher as well, and most tips people give over there pay for more than a lunch in Venezuela. The bot is secure enough for it's use case: tipping. Just like Dash Text will be secure enough for it's purpose.

-40% is a big chunk of the market, and every team in Venezuela will still continue to bring Dash to that Huge Market! For example, nobody questions the success of the iPhone in the US, but only around 27% of the population of the US have iPhones, if you're say, a game developer, who has been selling your game for iPhones for a while and now you decide to release your Game on Android, does that put into question your work on the iPhone? Absolutely not, the more markets and use cases the better, every initiative in Venezuela will benefit in some way from these SMS wallets, and all the massification work that has been done, which our team has been a part of for a long time, will continue, and Dash will expand to reach as many people as possible !

Thank you so much for taking the time to ask these very valid questions, again, we really hope to gain your support.

-Lorenzo Rey

 

[LorenzoRey]

Great idea Lorenzo.

I believe that if you can really control the security in this proposal (technical details), this will be the key access to many people not only in Venezuela but all around the world with 3rd world problems. We are not just talking about the possibilities to have or not a smart phone, but the internet conection in some of this countries is really bad, so this will help Dash to be used anywhere. Keep up with it and keep making this community grater.

Regards

Hello Johnny! Thanks for you support. Completely agree with you.

-Lorenzo Rey

 

[GrandMasterDash]

@LorenzoRey I am not overly against your project, who knows, maybe I'm wrong. But still, you asked if I support it and I simply give you my feedback; I have reservations.

In my mind, you have already stated the correct problem, that 60% of Venezuelans are without a smartphone. This is the problem you need to fix as it has the most potential to improve people's lives; not just money but also socially; their ability to search and connect with others.

I will still vote against this proposal but I wish you luck with it.

Phone companies can block a phone number and re-enable it on a new phone in both dumb phones and smartphones.

Yes, but an app can lock down registration, requiring a special pin in the event of a reset e.g. third party hijack. This is not easily achieved with a simple phone. See Signal Private Messenger for more info.

 

[LorenzoRey]

I commented to you, so that you estimate it if it arrives to present itself to the treasury.

I recently participated in some meetings, where the use of the GSM system (basic system of mobile phone) and sending of SMS were discussed, and the statistics of the operators were very conclusive.
Today everyone has a smartphone, with a minimum 3G connection to the Internet. and they communicate through the Internet through wsapp, telegram, etc.

Access to a second-hand smartphone is very easy, the African dash colleagues will be able to inform you about this, since the African population has mostly smartphones, and they have worse communication infrastructures.
If people use 'the perolito' is their decision, so I understand that they have 2 phones the Smartphone and 'the perolito', they must decide what to use according to their needs.

The matter is simple: a smartphone requires a level of training and that people are willing to be trained in the use of new technologies that involves having a pocket computer, and that is digital literacy, and in the world there are many people with a low level of training in digital skills.

The cost of sending a sms, can be 30-40 ctm of $ / eur, (similar to a bitcoin fee), which must be added the cost of the fee for the service to be self-sufficient and lasting over time and no flower for 3 months of treasury.

There are already projects in BTC and BCH of little success that cover this small market of use.
Ejem: https://cointext.io/regions/

In addition, they have support to several continents not only Venezuela (country), and if you do not support instandsend or privatesend, ('impossible' in sms txt) there is no competitive advantage.

Invest + of 100 tokens, when the treasury can have other international projects with a more interesting ROI I consider it to waste time and very scarce resources today.

It would be more interesting that from the support of Dash's Venezuela, you would promote the migration of your compatriots to smartphone, and if they steal your smartphone, a problem that can happen in Venezuela, USA, Brazil, UK, etc.
They Have training in recovering your wallet in another phone.


Thanks for your pre-proposal.

Hello blockchaintech, thanks for your comment, We wish everyone had a smartphone with a minimum 3g connectivity, but that is just not true, I don't know where did you get that information, smartphone penetration in Venezuela is at around 40% you can check the source in our proposal document. And 3g signal is bad in many many places, any Venezuelan or African can easily validate this. Some Venezuelans have validated that fact in this same thread.

Regarding the costs for SMS, the lowest SMS plan gives you 500 SMS, and costs for additional sms are at 30 VEF per sms, to put that into perspective, the Dash Network fee is at around 7000 VEF, so sms costs are not a concern.

Regarding similar projects for other coins, they charge extra fees (we will not), they haven't added Dash, they are not in Venezuela or Africa either. And this is definitely not a small market, as we have validated in our proposal, there are many people who can't use dash right now and they will be able to with Dash Text, but there are also many places where people who have dash can't use it due to signal reception or out of fear of getting mugged, with Dash Text they will be able to.

As stated previously, we support smartphone adoption initiatives, however this proposal gets you many more users and use cases for Dash than any smartphone initiative could get you for the same cost. It solves a big problem in a timely manner, it's convenient, easy, and it's a good first step for many people, like Sam Barbosa said, with Dash Text you'll be able to tip a friend some Dash to his phone number, without him needing to download anything.

We really hope to gain your support, thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback, we appreciate it greatly.

-Lorenzo Rey

 

[Dash Costas de Aragua]

(Y)

 

[dashameter]

Again I'm supporting your proposal and want to help think through it, when blockcypher holds the keys to the usersu dash but you hold the API keys to move the dash from the blockcyoher wallet, aren't you still in effective control of the Dash? How is that different from you holding the dash directly?

 

[LorenzoRey]

Again I'm supporting your proposal and want to help think through it, when blockcypher holds the keys to the usersu dash but you hold the API keys to move the dash from the blockcyoher wallet, aren't you still in effective control of the Dash? How is that different from you holding the dash directly?

Yeah totally, our system controls them thru the user commands. The difference is that the physical server where the keys are generated and from which transactions are broadcasted to the network is Blockcypher's.

-Lorenzo Rey

 

[blockchaintech]

Hello blockchaintech, thanks for your comment, We wish everyone had a smartphone with a minimum 3g connectivity, but that is just not true, I don't know where did you get that information, smartphone penetration in Venezuela is at around 40% you can check the source in our proposal document. And 3g signal is bad in many many places, any Venezuelan or African can easily validate this. Some Venezuelans have validated that fact in this same thread.

Regarding the costs for SMS, the lowest SMS plan gives you 500 SMS, and costs for additional sms are at 30 VEF per sms, to put that into perspective, the Dash Network fee is at around 7000 VEF, so sms costs are not a concern.

Regarding similar projects for other coins, they charge extra fees (we will not), they haven't added Dash, they are not in Venezuela or Africa either. And this is definitely not a small market, as we have validated in our proposal, there are many people who can't use dash right now and they will be able to with Dash Text, but there are also many places where people who have dash can't use it due to signal reception or out of fear of getting mugged, with Dash Text they will be able to.

As stated previously, we support smartphone adoption initiatives, however this proposal gets you many more users and use cases for Dash than any smartphone initiative could get you for the same cost. It solves a big problem in a timely manner, it's convenient, easy, and it's a good first step for many people, like Sam Barbosa said, with Dash Text you'll be able to tip a friend some Dash to his phone number, without him needing to download anything.

We really hope to gain your support, thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback, we appreciate it greatly.

-Lorenzo Rey

Lorenzo, obviously I spoke in a study in global terms, not in a specific country, since dash is global. Maybe I expressed myself badly, or that you misunderstood me.

The worldwide decline of GSM technology, based on the new LTE wireless connection technologies, means that creating investments that depend on technologies that are going to have a reduced use, is not the best option for investment and growth.

I do not see ROI creating this type of investments in local infrastructure, (as it is) that:

a) It can only be exploited in a geographical area
b) It does not have a road map of self-sufficiency, which without funds from the dash treasury, would not be viable over time.

In all the countries there are dark zones of GSM coverage, since the communications operators install antennas where they estimate that it is profitable. And everywhere there is a risk of theft.

And we continue with the problem of not being able to use neither instandsend or privatesend, which is disruptive in Dash. And more, when in the future the default shipping protocol can be instandsend.

I still think, that the focus is to train people in the use of Dash in smartphone, globally, from LATAM, USA, EU, etc.

And that you should focus on maintaining and expanding the opportunity offered to be the first Spanish-speaking global support call center (Latam, Spain).

It is my opinion.

 

[GrandMasterDash]

@LorenzoRey Unfortunately, it seems you have spent so much time thinking how to do dash over SMS, that you are unable to let go of it and pivot to a new strategy.

I recently heard an example - I think it was The Crypto Show - where Internet coverage was working better / more reliably than SMS. Okay, so it wasn't Venezuela but the idea is the same; that telecos are making such priorities.

With progress, poor countries often skip certain technological milestones. For example, people skipping black and white television and going directly to color. Or skipping DSL services and going direct to 4g.

Now, I get that you are thinking pragmatically, that you can be up and running quickly.. but equally, I believe this time next year we'll be seeing 50 or 60% smartphone penetration. And I also feel that you are balancing an argument where, on the one hand, slow / stagnant smartphone adoption is hindering dash growth... while equally seeking funds for a Venezuela project knowing full well we've seen great progress there. Show me evidence that other Venezuelan projects are faltering due to lack of smartphones.

 

[LorenzoRey]

@LorenzoRey Unfortunately, it seems you have spent so much time thinking how to do dash over SMS, that you are unable to let go of it and pivot to a new strategy.

I recently heard an example - I think it was The Crypto Show - where Internet coverage was working better / more reliably than SMS. Okay, so it wasn't Venezuela but the idea is the same; that telecos are making such priorities.

With progress, poor countries often skip certain technological milestones. For example, people skipping black and white television and going directly to color. Or skipping DSL services and going direct to 4g.

Now, I get that you are thinking pragmatically, that you can be up and running quickly.. but equally, I believe this time next year we'll be seeing 50 or 60% smartphone penetration. And I also feel that you are balancing an argument where, on the one hand, slow / stagnant smartphone adoption is hindering dash growth... while equally seeking funds for a Venezuela project knowing full well we've seen great progress there. Show me evidence that other Venezuelan projects are faltering due to lack of smartphones.

Hello again GrandMasterDash, me and my team are part and collaborate with many Venezuelan projects, they are not faltering, this proposal is not here to compensate for the failures of others, it just opens up a market where we had no access to before, and all other projects can benefit from this. A similar case is our Dash Help - Support Center, we receive calls everyday, we offer live chat and ticket support on our website as well, but the thing we receive the most are calls, traditional phone calls, you might also think phone calls are a thing of the past and not worth investing in them anymore, and we can agree with you that the future is internet based and traditional phone calls and SMS will eventually die. But it will still take many years, specially in countries like ours, and during these years, traditional solutions are still very effective and help a lot of people. Aditionally, you can always make a product evolve into more modern solutions over the years, Dash Text doesn't have to be SMS only for ever, it can evolve into internet based chat apps, who knows?

We understand if you still do not want to support us, you have your views and we respect them, we can agree to disagree, and we really appreciate the time you take here to give us your opinion.

-Lorenzo Rey

 

[GrandMasterDash]

Hello again GrandMasterDash, me and my team are part and collaborate with many Venezuelan projects, they are not faltering, this proposal is not here to compensate for the failures of others, it just opens up a market where we had no access to before, and all other projects can benefit from this. A similar case is our Dash Help - Support Center, we receive calls everyday, we offer live chat and ticket support on our website as well, but the thing we receive the most are calls, traditional phone calls, you might also think phone calls are a thing of the past and not worth investing in them anymore, and we can agree with you that the future is internet based and traditional phone calls and SMS will eventually die. But it will still take many years, specially in countries like ours, and during these years, traditional solutions are still very effective and help a lot of people. Aditionally, you can always make a product evolve into more modern solutions over the years, Dash Text doesn't have to be SMS only for ever, it can evolve into internet based chat apps, who knows?

We understand if you still do not want to support us, you have your views and we respect them, we can agree to disagree, and we really appreciate the time you take here to give us your opinion.

-Lorenzo Rey

Actually, I support the voice helpline.

 

[Bernardo Aceituno Cabezas]

Excellent proposal guys! Venezuela really needs alternative methods of payment and SMS technology is an excellent tool for this. I'm really looking forward to seeing this technology adopted in our daily basis. These SMS wallets can really become a game changer.

- Bernardo Aceituno C.

 

[dashameter]

Yeah totally, our system controls them thru the user commands. The difference is that the physical server where the keys are generated and from which transactions are broadcasted to the network is Blockcypher's.

-Lorenzo Rey

to

So the question remains, why do you not need a money transmitter / money service bureau / banking licence when you control the users funds via API keys instead of the private keys? Seems like the same thing to me, in other words why pay blockcypher when you can just ran a node yourself ? There are probably obvious legal reasons, I'd really love to understand those ..

 

[LorenzoRey]

to

So the question remains, why do you not need a money transmitter / money service bureau / banking licence when you control the users funds via API keys instead of the private keys? Seems like the same thing to me, in other words why pay blockcypher when you can just ran a node yourself ? There are probably obvious legal reasons, I'd really love to understand those ..

From a legal standpoint there is probably a big difference between handling funds in your own severs versus paying a 3rd party to do so, even tho you have API keys to effectively handle the funds. However in venezuela you only need a license if you're an exchange, even if we were running our own nodes to handle these wallets we wouldn't need a license atm.

The reason for using Blockcypher is that they are a respected company with a proven record of blockchain services, they can handle a lot of traffic reliably, and are allies to Dash, so we think it is wiser to use a respected provider than to build our own node servers with all the added costs associated and all the hassle and maintenance. Same reason why we hire an SMS provider, doesn't make sense to build our own SMS company and start putting antennas around the country haha

-Lorenzo Rey

 

[solarguy]

This will approximately double the number of people who can use Dash in Venezuela. It also looks like a good pilot project for how to spread Dash into the rest of Latin America. And, relatively speaking, this is a cheap proposal from a proven team with professional looking promo materials. Easy yes for me. I suspect the SMS/dumb phone method will be useful for a significant percent of the population in Venezuela for the next three years. So two or three years down the road, it won't matter if this method becomes obsolete, Dash will be the overwhelming winner in Venezuela at that point anyway.

Does your economic model require modest levels of on-going support or does it become self sustaining after 90 days? I'm still a yes either way, just want to know the details.

Full speed ahead in Venezuela.

 

[GrandMasterDash]

1. As you know, one of dash's main aims is to be as simple and error free as possible. How does this service promote a good user experience when users are expected to accurately type phone numbers in order to send dash?

2. What is the procedure for reversing payments when a user invariably sends dash to the wrong number?

3. How can we be sure that users funds are being managed correctly?

 

[LorenzoRey]

**UPDATE REGARDING SECURITY**

Seeing the overwhelming response of the community regarding security, we have decided that we can do more. We are in talks with a respected cyber-security firm who will be tasked to supervise the setting up of the project, and will try to break its security in different ways to validate if it's secure enough and if not, do the necessary changes to guarantee maximum security. This is a measure that we had thought about doing after the product was already released, understanding that we would not be handling much funds in the beginning, but we have listened to people's opinions and comments and we agree with your concerns, they are valid and we are taking the necessary steps to improve security as much as possible since these early stages, and we are fully committed to keep improving in this regard.

We are also contacting BlockCypher, the blockchain solutions company whose APIs we are using to bring this product to life, in order to let them know about this project and to get their feedback and advise, both in security and in the best use of their tools.

We want to help as many people as we can, by making Dash easily accessible to them, and we will keep working tirelessly to make this project a reality. We are so thankful for so many positive feedback we have received, and all the suggestions and concerns, can't be happier to be part of this community! Please keep supporting us!​

-Lorenzo Rey​