Encrypted Email Service Launches on Blockstack With Bitcoin Features

An encrypted email service that uses Blockstack IDs is hoping to make online privacy tools more accessible, especially in the Middle East.

Prior to launch, 500 people, from Saudi Arabia to India, tested the service, according to CEO Mohamed Abdou.

With limited access to cryptocurrency exchanges being a common theme in the Middle East especially, Abdou said the ability to receive or send bitcoin directly to the Blockstack ID's external cryptocurrency wallet could become a key feature in attracting users to this messaging service.

Bitcoiners living in Egypt often struggle to acquire cryptocurrency, since electricity for mining is expensive and services like exchanges generally exclude this jurisdiction.

The Egyptian government has condemned both trading and commercial usage of bitcoin.

Blockstack investor and Dmail advisor Mohamed Elkasstawi, founding partner at Zk Capital, told CoinDesk the high level of unemployment among Egyptians could be seen as an opportunity for global companies in the blockchain space.

Dmail uses Blockstack decentralized identities, which can be linked to GitHub and social profiles, as well as cryptocurrency addresses, in a way that the user controls.

The service is currently listed in Blockstack's App Mining program, which distributes bitcoin grants to projects garnering the most usage and developer contributions.

There's clearly a demand for secure email services, as the current market leader, ProtonMail, reportedly has 10 million users.

With Blockstack's storage system, only the DID holder herself has access to any related data.