Many people in the Bitcoin community see OpenBazaar as the next iteration of darknet marketplaces , but the first version of this network will not be suitable for those attempting to sell goods or services in an anonymous manner. During a recent guest appearance at the Coinscrum Members Club , OB1 CEO and OpenBazaar project lead Brian Hoffman discussed anonymity on the OpenBazaar network, and he noted that these features have been deferred to a future section of the development roadmap.
At one point during the Q&A session, Hoffman stated, “Right now, it’s fairly obvious, based on your connection information, where you are or where you’re running it from and things like that.”
Privacy and Anonymity Are Key Features for OpenBazaar
Although OpenBazaar will not offer anonymity to its users by default in its first full release, the team behind the project view this feature as a fundamental aspect of the protocol. During his recent appearance at the Coinscrum Members Club, Hoffman said, “I think [anonymity] is, without a doubt, one of the most important, fundamental things that we need to have in OpenBazaar.”
Hoffman added: “If you hear anybody say that we don’t care about that, it’s patently false. We definitely do. It just becomes a matter of how you do that gracefully without scaring off any other clearnet type users.” Hoffman also noted that a roadmap for incorporating more anonymity into OpenBazaar has been developed.
Growing OpenBazaar on the Clearnet
The plan to avoid anonymity for now should not be viewed as a dismissal of the need for this type of functionality. Instead, the deferment of these features to a later date is part of a grander vision. Hoffman described the OpenBazaar developers’ perspective on anonymity during his recent Coinscrum Members Club appearance by asking a question: “What is […]
