Blockchain
Would you pay for a username on social media? Telegram is hoping sure.
The messaging app is quickly to launch a username public sale platform on The Open Community (TON) blockchain, the corporate mentioned in an official channel on Thursday.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov revealed the venture in August, citing inspiration from the success of a latest TON public sale for his or her pockets usernames. Some, together with “on line casino.ton,” bought for over $200,000.
“If TON has been capable of obtain these outcomes, think about how profitable Telegram with its 700 million customers might be if we put reserved @ usernames, group and channel hyperlinks for public sale,” he mentioned.
However Durov isn’t stopping there. “Different parts of the Telegram ecosystem, together with channels, stickers or emoji, might later additionally turn into a part of this market,” he added.
Paying for usernames is not new. Over half one million folks have paid for usernames on Ethereum by the Ethereum Identify Service (ENS), in line with Non Fungible’s market tracker.
It isn’t only a web3 phenomenon both. It is turning into more durable and more durable to get the specified username on platforms like Twitter and Instagram and a few individuals are going to nice lengths to acquire them. Suggestions and methods on-line counsel every part from asking the platforms to reassign unused usernames to elaborate copyright schemes.
Others goes even additional. Some companies will even receive social media names by hacking the unique proprietor.
Telegram started exploring blockchain options and dealing on the then-named Telegram Open Community in 2018. Later that yr, it raised $1.7 billion in a non-public sale of TON tokens.
In October 2019 the U.S. Securities and Alternate Fee accused it of conducting an unregistered securities providing and sued Telegram. In 2020, beneath stress from regulators, Telegram deserted the venture.
Open supply builders continued to work on the venture. In 2022, it rebranded as The Open Community with a reside, absolutely operational mainnet.
