https://xx.network/faq
What are the xx network, Elixxir, and Praxxis?
The xx network combines technology developed by Elixxir and Praxxis into the first online platform that allows you to communicate and exchange value without revealing information about your activity to organizations that would collect and sell your data. While many of today’s communications platforms are encrypted, they don’t protect metadata.
Metadata is data about data, like who sent a message, who received it, where it was sent from, and what time it was sent. When metadata is collected and analyzed, it can reveal a lot about consumer behavior, and can be manipulated by tech companies and governments. The xx network changes this by offering secure, encrypted communications and payments that fully obscure metadata to offer the first truly private, anonymous, scalable and fast platform that allows you to transact with friends, family, and service providers without the fear of being spied upon. The xx network integrates technology from two projects and teams: Elixxir and Praxxis, both led by Dr. Chaum.
Elixxir
Elixxir technology protects privacy by combining end-to-end encryption with a revolutionary metadata shredding mix network, called cMix, which obscures metadata for messaging and payments. With Elixxir, both messages and payments are mixed together, shredding all metadata and preventing third parties from seeing that a message or payment was ever sent.
Watch the video.
Praxxis
Praxxis has developed a next-generation, quantum secure blockchain which uses a unique consensus mechanism called xxBFT, or xx consensus. After transactions are mixed through Elixxir, payments are passed to the independently owned nodes running the xx consensus protocol to be confirmed and added to the blockchain. xx network is the only quantum secure blockchain solution that can combine the speed, scalability, and security properties needed for blockchain technology to achieve mass adoption.
Where is the xx network based?
The xx network team and company (xx network SEZC) is based and headquartered in Grand Cayman. The team uses WBM Corp. SEZC’s Praxxis consensus technology developed in the Cayman Islands and Privategrity's Elixxir private messaging layer developed in Los Angeles.
Who developed it?
The xx network was created by Dr. David Chaum, one of the earliest blockchain researchers and a world-renowned cryptographer and privacy advocate. WBM was founded by Dr. David Chaum and is led by William Carter, a computer scientist and systems design expert. Privategrity was founded by Dr. David Chaum and the Elixxir technology team within Privategrity is led by Benjamin Wenger. The xx network and WBM teams are made up of cryptographers, developers, marketers, and more; all working together to create the most powerful blockchain network for communicating and sharing value anywhere in the world.
Who is Dr. David Chaum?
Dr. David Chaum is one of the earliest blockchain researchers and a world-renowned cryptographer and privacy advocate. Known as “The Godfather of Privacy,” Dr. Chaum first proposed a solution for protecting metadata with mix-cascade networks in 1979. In 1982, his dissertation at the University of California, Berkeley became the first known proposal of a blockchain protocol. Dr. Chaum went on to develop eCash, the first digital currency, and made numerous contributions to secure voting systems in the 1990s. Today, Dr. Chaum is the Founder of Elixxir, Praxxis, and the xx network, which combines his decades of research and contributions in the field of cryptography and privacy to deliver state-of-the-art blockchain solutions. To learn more about Dr. Chaum, please visit www.chaum.com.
What’s next for the xx network?
The xx network MainNet release is planned for late 2020.
What problems does the xx network address?
Email, social media, and mobile applications have transformed the way we communicate and exchange value. However, mainstream technology companies have proven unwilling or unable to protect user privacy, opting for profits based on advertising instead. Even with encrypted messaging applications, metadata is collected to track consumer behavior including the sender, recipient, and time stamp. Governments and organizations can use this data to manipulate users and ultimately threaten our freedom.
xx network is implementing blockchain technology and encryption which obscures metadata to offer a truly private, decentralized messaging and payment platform. This means that with xx network technology, there is no way for any third party -- including governments or tech companies or even the xx network itself -- to see information about the sender or recipient(s) of communications or payments. Plus, the xx network will operate seamlessly so that users can send messages and payments just as quickly as they can with any traditional network.
Why Blockchain? Why is this better than Venmo, Facebook, Paypal, WhatsApp, etc.?
Despite its promise, blockchain remains a mysterious and almost nefarious technology to many people. In a sentence, blockchain is about removing the incentive and ability of self-interested organizations to mismanage the users of the platform and their data. This is done through a concept called decentralization which uses incentivized governance mechanisms to put the users in control of the development and operation of the platform.
In the xx network, users are paid to make important decisions about the platform and to run the servers and infrastructure themselves. The effect is that you are in control of your data and how it’s used through unbreakable cryptography and social governance rather than demonstrably ineffective regulations, privacy policies, and terms of use. Existing social media and payment platforms have built their businesses on the monetization of your data leading to election manipulation and the selling and leaking of personal data that we see regularly in news headlines. The xx network takes away the incentive and ability for centralized organizations to abuse your data.
How is xx blockchain better than other blockchains?
Since the early days of Bitcoin, many projects have attempted to develop decentralized platforms capable of providing global-scale payments systems. However, these networks are burdened by large fees, slow payment confirmation times, high energy consumption, and a lack of built-in security. This has slowed user adoption and prevented decentralized networks from presenting a viable alternative to centralization. xx network is the first blockchain capable of simultaneously achieve decentralization, speed, privacy, all with quantum-secure technology. Rather than using PoS or PoW, the xx network uses a brand new consensus mechanism called xxBFT to achieve maximum performance. In addition, Elixxir integrates metadata shredding to ensure privacy goes beyond encryption. These are just a few examples of the many ways xx network outperforms existing blockchain projects. To learn more, please download the Praxxis Technical White Paper.
Does the xx BFT/xx Consensus use Proof-of-Stake or Proof-of-Work?
Neither! The xx blockchain uses a completely new technology called xxBFT (also referred to as xx consensus) to deliver unprecedented speed, security, and scalability while maintaining full decentralization on the network. xxBFT allows the xx blockchain to achieve linear authenticator complexity and single block finality. xxBFT is scalable to thousands of nodes and is truly egalitarian, granting every node equal operating time and rewards. Furthermore, xxBFT is quantum secure and requires very low energy consumption, two major advantages over existing blockchains. To learn more, please download the Praxxis Technical White Paper.
How can the xx network, a blockchain, handle large scale communication?
Communication functionality provided by the xx network is not grounded in blockchain technology because successful communication does not require addressing the digital currency “double spend” issue.. Therefore, network wide consensus is not needed in the processing of messages, only in the selection of and management of node teams to ensure the messages will be handled correctly. As a result, the number of private messages the xx network can handle is not limited by blockchain technology, it is only a function of the number of nodes it has processing messages. As more nodes are added, the network can process more and more messages.
How can I find more information and get involved?
To get more involved, you can download the xx collective app and apply to become a local leader. Local leaders are a community of xx network evangelists from all over the world who are taking on an active role in shaping the future of blockchain technology. To learn more, please click here. You can also connect with us on YouTube, Twitter, Telegram, Facebook, and read our the xx network whitepaper, Praxxis Technical Paper and Elixxir Architecture Brief.
Using the xx network
As a user
As users of online platforms, we generally don’t have the time or energy to research and understand the technology that enables our favorite apps. If we did, we’d be shocked to learn how much personal information these platforms collect and how easily that information can be used to influence our decisions and behavior. The xx network is a new generation of technology that is governed by its users. The xx network puts you back in control of your information through the use of seamless, easy-to-use apps.
These apps may initially be developed by us. Our xx messenger is being publicly tested and will let you communicate and exchange money with your friends, family, and associates while using the most secure cryptography in the world. Ultimately we are working towards making interfaces that would enable your favorite organization and developers and your favorite companies in banking, commerce, and social media to use our technology. In time, we believe you should be able to do most of the things you currently do online but without compromising your identity.
As a developer or company
As the creators and providers of online products, using the right technology and having an eye for future trends is imperative to building competitive and sustainable value. Privacy and security has proven to be the battleground of the future and the xx network will enable you to build valuable applications with the strongest privacy and security properties in the world.
The Arrow SDK is currently being developed to enable existing applications to interface with the xx network to send communications with complete identity protection through our revolutionary mix network. Eventually, will integrate seamless payments and communications.
What is xx messenger?
It is the first messenger that demonstrates the performance of the xx network, bringing metadata free communication to members of the xx collective. It is currently in alpha and available for testing. To learn more, watch this short explainer video.
How do I download xx messenger?
You can download the xx collective app on iOS or Android here to join the Access List for xx messenger. There are currently thousands of users and more spots will open up soon.
Is the xx network free to use?
xx messenger is free for users with a verified account. Those .running decentralized applications, smart contracts, and businesses on the xx network can use xx coins to purchase higher bandwidth.
What is the xx collective?
The xx collective is a global community supporting the xx network. Released in 2019, The xx collective app is available to download on iOS and Android, and provides access to xx messenger and xx network features, capabilities, events, and more.
xx coin
What is the xx coin?
The xx coin is a secure and optionally denominated digital currency that can be traded among users and businesses while incentivizing operations on the network. The xx coin is used to incentivize governance that enforces transparent operation of the network and empowers users to participate in the ecosystem. The xx coin is also used to pay for high volume messaging, effect payments and in dapps. Because the xx coin is secured by the xx network, it is completely private and quantum secure.
How can I purchase the xx coin?
The xx coin is available to non-U.S. persons. To learn more, please visit https://xx-coin.io/.
What is the xx coin’s structure like?
In the genesis block, one billion xx coins will be minted. Initial distribution of xx coins will be via an ERC-1404 smart contract and then converted once mainnet is launched. Denominated xx coins emulate physical money with pre-set values, which are base-two numbers such as 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc., and can only be spent once because of the type of signature used. This is the most private way to send money on the network. The xx network also will support wallets so that users can send and receive payments repeatedly without creating a new public address and multisig wallets for transactions that require at least two parties to sign off will also be supported.
How will xx coins be allocated and distributed?
70 percent of xx coins are intended to be disbursed or allocated to the xx network community through public sales, private sales, and community incentivization programs. 25 percent of xx coins will be reserved for WBM Corp., developers of the Praxxis software, and project creators. 5 percent of xx coins will be reserved for the xx network ecosystem, including developer rewards. The xx network considers usability, privacy, and security to be its top features.
How does the xx network generate revenue?
xx nodes receive block rewards, which are composed of a share of the income the network generates and an inflationary reward of newly minted xx coins. Inflation is expected to be roughly .5 percent to .8 percent. As MainNet goes live, during the first several years, inflation may temporarily be higher. A small portion of block rewards go towards governance to incentivize participation, and to a foundation to cover developmental costs.
xx nodes
What are xx nodes and how do they work on the xx network?
xx nodes are servers that collectively operate the xx network. xx nodes must be reliable and high-performing to achieve the necessary capability and scalability to serve a global user base and replace centralized systems. The xx network promotes an egalitarian approach, where any independent individual or organization is welcome to apply to the xx network to become a node.
Are there separate nodes for Elixxir and Praxxis?
There will be one set of nodes for the xx network running both Elixxir and Praxxis software. Every xx node will take turns running the Elixxir cMix processing batches of messages, and will run the xx consensus by taking turns as block producers and endorsers.
How are nodes selected?
To learn how xx network beta nodes were selected, click here. MainNet nodes, which will number in the thousands, will be selected through a governance process.
Decentralized Governance
How does governance work on the xx network?
The xx network is completely decentralized, meaning there is no central authority managing the xx network and resolving disputes. The xx network requires governance to achieve collective agreement on code, core data updates or even adding or removing nodes (to name a few critical network issues). Governance within the xx network relies on sample voting, a process developed by Dr. David Chaum which randomly polls a subset of the voting population and incentivizes the subset to make informed decisions.
What is sample voting?
With sample voting, a subset of voters can investigate and cast a vote on a given topic. As a result, selected voters can be incentivized with fixed or lottery-based rewards without any linking of compensation to votes. This governance process ensures fairness and transparency within the xx network, and technical measures are in place to prevent bad actors from infiltrating the governance process and sample voting system.
How do you prevent vote buying?
In order to prevent vote buying, decoy ballots can be issued and sold to those trying to buy votes. They look the same as regular ballots but won’t be counted as actual votes, thus keeping the integrity of the election.
