David Chaum’s groundbreaking full-stack blockchain platform, Elixxir, closed node applications Friday after receiving 870 submissions for its BetaNet from operators across more than 80 countries.

Modeled after the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) protocol used to standardize the early internet, Elixxir’s BetaNet selection process follows six steps. The process was designed to remove the core team’s influence over selection by opening applications to community feedback and review. Step 3, the application phase, was open from February 18th to April 19th in order to receive enough quality applicants for the ultimate selection of 100 BetaNet nodes.

Truly a testnet, Elixxir’s BetaNet does not feature a block reward, and participation in the BetaNet does not guarantee participation as a node in the MainNet. Given this volunteer-based approach to the BetaNet, 200-300 BetaNet applications were expected to make up Elixxir’s selection pool.

Support for the platform’s goals and demand to operate a BetaNet node far exceeded these expectations. Peter Somerville, Director of Developer Relations, shared that “applications extended across a range of language, experience, and location. We received 870 applications. Over 650 were from outside the United States, with the United States, Russia, the U.K., Canada, Germany, Australia, Turkey, China, the Netherlands, and Brazil being the top 10 markets.”

Advertisement

The widespread interest in Elixxir’s metadata-resistant, privacy-first approach to transaction processing is indicative of a global shift in consumer preference toward privacy-preserving technologies. Elixxir nodes protect privacy by combining end-to-end encryption with a mixed network that completely obscures user metadata. The platform’s breakthrough consensus mechanism enables quantum-resistant security capable of supporting a range of transactions including decentralized application (dApp) data transfer.

Step 4 of Elixxir’s BetaNet rollout begins today with the anonymizing of applications in preparation for publication and community review, step 5 of the 6-step process.