Visit our blog for a comprehensive recap on everything related to cover traffic research 📕 https://t.co/Jgi48B8dLn 🧵 9/9

The strategy of opening channels to these edge nodes by the cover traffic app would reveal more than just privacy benefits, yet most network nodes remain reachable by the app, gaining privacy and staking rewards. 🧵 8/9

But channel opening events are visible on the blockchain, and anyone monitoring the network will quickly be able to work out the addresses linked to the cover traffic nodes 🕵️ 🧵 7/9

Our cover traffic app is launching soon, and it’s a huge deal 🎉 But there are some things it can’t (or shouldn’t) do that are worth exploring 🔍 🧵 1/9

Our cover traffic app is launching soon, and it’s a huge deal! 🎉 But there are some things it can’t (or shouldn’t) do that are worth exploring. The first version of the cover traffic app follows a simple process: 1️⃣ It selects a node to receive cover traffic, based on its stake 2️⃣ It then sends a message as a 1-hop routed via the selected node 3️⃣ That node will relay the message and receive a reward for doing so But there are some nodes which can’t be reached, and some nodes that shouldn’t be reached. Nodes which aren’t connected to the network obviously can’t be targeted with cover traffic. But certain edge nodes (nodes with minimal connections in the network) shouldn’t be either. Some nodes in the HOPR network will emit packets but never relay them. With only outgoing channels, they can only send packets or receive them as the last hop in the relay. Cover traffic nodes are actually an example of this. Of course, cover traffic nodes (like all nodes) can open and fund payment channels to any node. And this might seem worthwhile, since it would allow these somewhat exposed nodes to get a cover traffic privacy boost. BUT channel opening events are visible on the blockchain, and anyone monitoring the network will quickly be able to work out the addresses linked to the cover traffic nodes. 🕵️ The channel opening strategy from the cover traffic app to these edge nodes would reveal far more than the privacy benefits of receiving cover traffic. Nonetheless, the majority of nodes in the network will be reachable by the cover traffic app, receiving both a privacy boost and rewards for staking. Visit our blog for a comprehensive recap on everything related to cover traffic research. 📕 https://medium.com/hoprnet/hopr-cover-traffic-app-launches-1c1d2b6c2986

Our cover traffic app is launching soon, and it’s a huge deal! 🎉 But there are some things it can’t (or shouldn’t) do that are worth exploring. The first version of the cover traffic app follows a simple process: 1️⃣ It selects a node to receive cover traffic, based on its stake 2️⃣ It then sends a message as a 1-hop routed via the selected node 3️⃣ That node will relay the message and receive a reward for doing so But there are some nodes which can’t be reached, and some nodes that shouldn’t be reached. Nodes which aren’t connected to the network obviously can’t be targeted with cover traffic. But certain edge nodes (nodes with minimal connections in the network) shouldn’t be either. Some nodes in the HOPR network will emit packets but never relay them. With only outgoing channels, they can only send packets or receive them as the last hop in the relay. Cover traffic nodes are actually an example of this. Of course, cover traffic nodes (like all nodes) can open and fund payment channels to any node. And this might seem worthwhile, since it would allow these somewhat exposed nodes to get a cover traffic privacy boost. BUT channel opening events are visible on the blockchain, and anyone monitoring the network will quickly be able to work out the addresses linked to the cover traffic nodes. 🕵️ The channel opening strategy from the cover traffic app to these edge nodes would reveal far more than the privacy benefits of receiving cover traffic. Nonetheless, the majority of nodes in the network will be reachable by the cover traffic app, receiving both a privacy boost and rewards for staking. Visit our blog for a comprehensive recap on everything related to cover traffic research. 📕 https://medium.com/hoprnet/hopr-cover-traffic-app-launches-1c1d2b6c2986

We're excited to share even more insights about limitations and constraints However, if you're feeling curious and can't wait, you can already dive into the details on our blog 📕 https://t.co/dRkrjqQsfP 🧵 8/8

Mixing injects entropy into the network, but this is only possible if there are actually packets to mix Nodes with near-empty mixers are a good candidate for a privacy boost from cover traffic 🧵 7/8

One problem with building a privacy protocol is that it works! That means it’s hard to get info about nodes and the network, because everything is so private 🧵 1/8

Dear community Yesterday we looked into the first version of our new cover traffic app and how it prioritizes providing rewards to node runners based on their stake. We’ve also touched upon about how the next version will balance rewards with more targeted privacy. Today we’re looking at how we might achieve that. 🔍 One problem with building a privacy protocol is that it works! That means it’s hard to get info about nodes and the network, because everything is so private. But there’s some exposed data which we can use to approximate the health of the network and work out which nodes might benefit from an extra cover traffic boost: 1️⃣ We use subgraphs to build a picture of the network topology. Our various smart contracts tell us about the currently open payment channels and how well they’re funded. The cover traffic app and dedicated nodes can also gather data on the network by recording which relays were successful or not. This isn’t the same as seeing data move through the network in real-time but it gives a good approximation! 2️⃣ Nodes themselves also expose certain metrics publicly. One useful metric is the number of packets currently in the mixer, which is responsible for jumbling packets together, making them hard to trace. Mixing injects entropy into the network, but this is only possible if there are actually packets to mix. Nodes with near-empty mixers are a good candidate for a privacy boost from cover traffic. We're excited to share even more insights about limitations and constraints. However, if you're feeling curious and can't wait, you can already dive into the details on our blog. 📕 https://medium.com/hoprnet/1c1d2b6c2986

Dear community Yesterday we looked into the first version of our new cover traffic app and how it prioritizes providing rewards to node runners based on their stake. We’ve also touched upon about how the next version will balance rewards with more targeted privacy. Today we’re looking at how we might achieve that. 🔍 One problem with building a privacy protocol is that it works! That means it’s hard to get info about nodes and the network, because everything is so private. But there’s some exposed data which we can use to approximate the health of the network and work out which nodes might benefit from an extra cover traffic boost: 1️⃣ We use subgraphs to build a picture of the network topology. Our various smart contracts tell us about the currently open payment channels and how well they’re funded. The cover traffic app and dedicated nodes can also gather data on the network by recording which relays were successful or not. This isn’t the same as seeing data move through the network in real-time but it gives a good approximation! 2️⃣ Nodes themselves also expose certain metrics publicly. One useful metric is the number of packets currently in the mixer, which is responsible for jumbling packets together, making them hard to trace. Mixing injects entropy into the network, but this is only possible if there are actually packets to mix. Nodes with near-empty mixers are a good candidate for a privacy boost from cover traffic. We're excited to share even more insights about limitations and constraints. However, if you're feeling curious and can't wait, you can already dive into the details on our blog. 📕 https://medium.com/hoprnet/1c1d2b6c2986

We're excited to share even more insights about balancing economics and privacy in tomorrows thread However, if you're feeling curious and can't wait, you can already dive into the details on our blog today 📕 https://t.co/Jgi48B8dLn 🧵 8/8

…while still providing each node with rewards linked to their stake 💰 🧵 7/8

Once we gather the first data on the reliability of the app, we’ll be able to start crafting more elaborate strategies that can provide targeted privacy… 🎯 /hoprnet/status/1695088921191842226 🧵 6/8

Dear community Yesterday we’ve announced the cover traffic app and today we’re going to look into balancing economics and privacy. 💰🟡 Cover traffic is fundamentally a privacy feature: it injects arbitrary data into the network to increase entropy and provide cover for the real data being relayed. But the cover traffic app ALSO serves to disperse rewards to HOPR stakers: node runners receive packets from the cover traffic service in proportion to their stake. This introduces an interesting interplay between economics and privacy: the nodes which need to be boosted by cover traffic are not necessarily the ones with the highest stake. 💡 In its first version, the cover traffic app will use a naive strategy based solely on stake 💰 and availability🚦. It checks which nodes are available then picks a random 1-hop path weighted by node stake. This will blanket the network with cover traffic, providing additional privacy in a real but rudimentary way. 🟡 Once we gather the first data on the reliability of the app, we’ll be able to start crafting more elaborate strategies that can provide targeted privacy while still providing each node with rewards linked to their stake. 🎯 Here’s a recap on targeted privacy: https://t.me/HOPRannouncements/586 We're excited to share even more insights about balancing economics and privacy in tomorrows thread. However, if you're feeling curious and can't wait, you can already dive into the details on our blog today. 📕 https://medium.com/hoprnet/1c1d2b6c2986

Cover traffic is fundamentally a privacy feature It injects arbitrary data into the network to increase entropy and provide cover for the real data being relayed 🧵 1/8

Dear community Yesterday we’ve announced the cover traffic app and today we’re going to look into balancing economics and privacy. 💰🟡 Cover traffic is fundamentally a privacy feature: it injects arbitrary data into the network to increase entropy and provide cover for the real data being relayed. But the cover traffic app ALSO serves to disperse rewards to HOPR stakers: node runners receive packets from the cover traffic service in proportion to their stake. This introduces an interesting interplay between economics and privacy: the nodes which need to be boosted by cover traffic are not necessarily the ones with the highest stake. 💡 In its first version, the cover traffic app will use a naive strategy based solely on stake 💰 and availability🚦. It checks which nodes are available then picks a random 1-hop path weighted by node stake. This will blanket the network with cover traffic, providing additional privacy in a real but rudimentary way. 🟡 Once we gather the first data on the reliability of the app, we’ll be able to start crafting more elaborate strategies that can provide targeted privacy while still providing each node with rewards linked to their stake. 🎯 Here’s a recap on targeted privacy: https://t.me/HOPRannouncements/586 We're excited to share even more insights about balancing economics and privacy in tomorrows thread. However, if you're feeling curious and can't wait, you can already dive into the details on our blog today. 📕 https://medium.com/hoprnet/1c1d2b6c2986

We're excited to share even more insights about our cover traffic research in the upcoming days However, if you're feeling curious and can't wait, you can already dive into the details on our blog 📕 https://t.co/Jgi48B8dLn 🧵 13/13

Cover traffic has been a fundamental part of HOPR’s design since day one, so we’re beyond excited to be launching this first version for node runners soon 🧵 12/13

Dear community, we have some exciting news you have all been waiting for! We’re beyond excited to share with you that cover traffic (CT) is on its way! 🎉 The first iteration of CT will be an app running on top of HOPR, rather than being integrated into nodes at the protocol level. This is different to how we’ve described it before – the ultimate version of CT will indeed be built into nodes, with each node capable of dispersing CT as needed. 🟡 So why the shift? 🟡 👉 The first is just a practical point of coding. When cover traffic was conceived, HOPR was just launched with a single development team of just three people. Now HOPR has grown to over twenty people, and CT is so important it has its own dev team. Working in parallel like this, it’s far easier to build CT as a separate app then integrate it via the API. It also means it doesn’t need to be coded in Rust, unlike the core protocol 👉 The second is budgetary. Cover traffic will be used to disperse HOPR tokens to stakers. Since this budget come from the HOPR Association and is sent via our nodes, it makes sense for it to be an app we host and run. 👉 Finally, by building the first version of CT as an app, we get more control over the service and can gather more data. As an app, we can change parameters in near-real time, something which would be impossible if CT was integrated into every node. This is the first time cover CT has been live, so we expect there to be teething problems and adjustments. 🚧 We also need to gather data on topology and latency to try and build a more efficient cover traffic service, and learn about HOPR node functionality in general. Cover traffic has been a fundamental part of HOPR’s design since day one, so we’re beyond excited to be launching this first version for node runners soon! We're excited to share even more insights about our CT research in the coming days. However, if you're curious and can't wait, you can already dive into the details on our blog. 📕 https://medium.com/hoprnet/1c1d2b6c2986

Dear community, we have some exciting news you have all been waiting for! We’re beyond excited to share with you that cover traffic (CT) is on its way! 🎉 The first iteration of CT will be an app running on top of HOPR, rather than being integrated into nodes at the protocol level. This is different to how we’ve described it before – the ultimate version of CT will indeed be built into nodes, with each node capable of dispersing CT as needed. 🟡 So why the shift? 🟡 👉 The first is just a practical point of coding. When cover traffic was conceived, HOPR was just launched with a single development team of just three people. Now HOPR has grown to over twenty people, and CT is so important it has its own dev team. Working in parallel like this, it’s far easier to build CT as a separate app then integrate it via the API. It also means it doesn’t need to be coded in Rust, unlike the core protocol 👉 The second is budgetary. Cover traffic will be used to disperse HOPR tokens to stakers. Since this budget come from the HOPR Association and is sent via our nodes, it makes sense for it to be an app we host and run. 👉 Finally, by building the first version of CT as an app, we get more control over the service and can gather more data. As an app, we can change parameters in near-real time, something which would be impossible if CT was integrated into every node. This is the first time cover CT has been live, so we expect there to be teething problems and adjustments. 🚧 We also need to gather data on topology and latency to try and build a more efficient cover traffic service, and learn about HOPR node functionality in general. Cover traffic has been a fundamental part of HOPR’s design since day one, so we’re beyond excited to be launching this first version for node runners soon! We're excited to share even more insights about our CT research in the coming days. However, if you're curious and can't wait, you can already dive into the details on our blog. 📕 https://medium.com/hoprnet/1c1d2b6c2986