21 Nov 2024 ~ CC3 [Community Call] Notes

General
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1. DevCon Event Highlights:

  • Radiant Commons and Penumbra Labs presented at 6 separate side events!
  • Shielding Summit Participation:
    • Radiant Commons was a sponsor.
  • Community and Networking Outcomes:
    • General enthusiasm for privacy in the blockchain space, with opportunities for Radiant Commons to lead in this area.

2. Development Updates:

  • Prax Wallet Updates:
    • Simplified onboarding process, reducing steps from seven to three:
      • Previously required user selection of RPCs, front ends, and other technical inputs.
      • Now automated using a registry system that randomizes selections from community-approved options.
    • Adjustments in account naming for better user understanding:
      • Main account now labeled clearly.
      • Sub-accounts renamed for consistency with centralized exchange terminology.
    • Technical improvements reflected in new version 14.2 of the wallet.

3. Marketing and Outreach Efforts:

  • Radiant Commons Team Updates:
    • Currently collaborating with a marketing agency to refine strategies around increasing the awareness of privacy enhancing technology.
    • Exploring various campaigns to promote privacy protocols as both a technology and an ideological movement.

4. Decentralization of Penumbra:

  • Centralization Challenges in Blockchain:

    • Even with decentralized protocols, front ends often become central points of control.
    • Examples include platforms like OpenSea, which can delete NFTs despite their on-chain existence.

  • Penumbra’s Approach:

    • Fully decentralized across the stack: no enshrined canonical front end or RPC service.
    • Users can operate their own infrastructure or rely on a decentralized ecosystem of community-run RPCs and front ends.
    • The network’s launch ensured decentralization by allowing airdrop recipients to choose validators and by supporting decentralized wallet software.

  • Current and Future Improvements:

    • The initial user experience was more complex, to prioritize decentralization.
    • Improvements now enable cycling through different RPCs/front ends by default, simplifying the user experience while maintaining resilience.
    • Users can still manually select or run their own RPCs/front ends for enhanced privacy and trustlessness.

  • Security and Privacy Considerations:

    • RPC Limitations: Cannot decrypt or inspect transaction contents, only relays encrypted data. Potential metadata leakage (e.g., IP address) is the primary concern.
    • Front Ends: Can view wallet details while in use but do not retain long-term access to sensitive data.
    • Emphasis on cryptographic protections and clear trust models.

  • Encouragement for Community Participation:

    • Users are encouraged to host their own front ends using tools like the Mini Front Deployer, making it easy to run self-hosted instances on platforms like Cloudflare or Netlify.
    • The decentralized design allows new front ends tailored to specific use cases, fostering innovation.

5. Noble and USDC Integration Update:

6. New Forum Post- please comment with your thoughts!