@simplex although I am fairly new to this world, I have been using Simplex for some time now as a privacy / sovereignty maxi, so I’m writing this in good faith but from a hostile threat-model.
I also do not claim to understand all the technical details here. I am clearly using AI to help me understand and get my point across, still that shouldn't take away from the message I am trying to convey.
First, respect where it’s due:
– Novel protocol, no protocol-level user IDs.
– Serious work on metadata resistance + private routing.
– Clear stance vs MLS and client-side scanning.
– Audits + willingness to say “we’d shut down before ChatControl.”
All that said, the new Community Vouchers / SMPX / zkEVM plan raises big red flags from a sovereignty & Bitcoin perspective, and there are some contradictions I want to put on the record.
(1) “No shitcoins” vs SMPX + NFT + zkEVM
On Nostr/X you’ve repeatedly said “we’re not doing shitcoins” and answered “No” to “are you adding shitcoins to SimpleX.”
At the same time:
– Your own docs say Community Vouchers are implemented as a utility token on an EVM/zkEVM chain (SMPX, ERC-20 compatible).
– You’re issuing a non-transferable NFT on Ethereum mainnet as an access pass to the testnet.
– The token underlies names, server registry, payments and revenue sharing.
From a Bitcoin/sovereignty POV, this is an altcoin/token stack, regardless of pre-mine / speculation / fundraising.
Q1. Why not just say plainly: “Yes, we’re building an EVM-based token layer for network economics, but we’re trying to keep it non-speculative”? Right now it feels like a semantic dodge.
(2) “Not tradable” in the banner vs “maybe transferable” in the FAQ
Public copy and Nostr replies say:
– “Community Vouchers are not tradable, cannot be sold, expire in 6–12 months; no pre-mine; no public sale.”
But your own FAQ also says something like:
– Transfer may be possible with strict limits on number of transfers and holding time, enforced by smart contracts; details TBD.
So at the spec level:
– Vouchers = SMPX tokens on an EVM L2
– ERC-20 compatible
– Transferability not fully ruled out; parameters undecided.
Q2. Can you clarify this honestly: are SMPX vouchers structurally untransferable, or are they transferable with restrictions? If the latter, why keep “not tradable” as your headline?
Q3. What is your explicit stance on secondary / OTC markets for SMPX (even if contracts limit transfers)? Do you expect them, and what do you do when they appear?
(3) Operator “trust evaluation”, identity, and regulatory capture
In the vouchers design you say:
– Operators who confirm identity and accept legally-binding terms get higher revenue share.
– “Trust evaluation” (uptime, longevity, etc.) feeds on-chain metrics.
– Funds are released from the contract only when capacity is proven, then split between operators and a SimpleX “network treasury”.
That means:
– The economically meaningful operators are the known, contract-signing ones.
– You are building a regulator-friendly class of service providers, with KYC-like characteristics and on-chain trust scores.
Q4. How do you prevent this from sliding into full-blown regulatory capture (OFAC lists, EU ChatControl-style terms baked into the operator contract, etc.) once significant money flows through this system?
Q5. Do you commit, in writing, to never making “known, contract-signing operators” a requirement for preset/default servers, even under EU pressure?
(4) Altchain / L2 / stablecoin dependency
By design:
– SMPX lives on a zkEVM/L2.
– Purchases are done via cards/app stores or via crypto (Bitcoin/Monero/etc.), but the settlement & accounting sits in the EVM universe.
– Names, server registry, and payments live in that same stack.
That imports:
– L2 governance politics,
– sequencer centralization,
– stablecoin issuer risk,
– and the full regulatory blast radius of Ethereum-land.
Q6. What is your contingency plan if the chosen L2 starts censoring, gets captured, or dies? Does the network degrade gracefully (names/registry/payments decouple), or are you effectively locking these core functions into that ecosystem?
Q7. Why was an EVM + token stack considered more acceptable than a Bitcoin + Cashu/Fedimint/Lightning approach, given that the latter could also provide unlinkable payments and revenue sharing without creating a new asset?
I understand the “trust in a mint” concern, but you’re now trusting:
– an L2 sequencer,
– complex smart contracts + upgrade keys,
– and an entire altchain governance process.
For some of us, that’s a bigger trust surface, not a smaller one.
(5) “No identifiers” vs IP reality & infra concentration
External analysis (maqp, PrivacyGuides, etc.) has pointed out:
– Default preset servers being concentrated on a small number of infra providers (e.g. Akamai + Flux).
– IP addresses still being long-lived identifiers unless people consciously route over Tor/VPN (which is not default).
Yet your marketing often leans very hard on “no identifiers” and suggests a stronger anonymity set than most people actually get in practice.
Q8. Are you willing to update your public messaging to reflect the real IP/threat model more precisely (especially around preset servers + no default Tor), instead of letting people think SimpleX has “no identifiers” in the strong sense?
Where I’m at:
From my perspective:
– SimpleX is still doing serious work on protocol & privacy.
– Self-hosted SimpleX for 1:1 / small groups is still interesting as a tool.
– But the SMPX/zkEVM vouchers + KYC-tilted operator economics make it impossible to treat SimpleX as a sovereign-grade anchor for comms.
What I am asking for:
– Clear acknowledgment that this is an altchain token + governance layer.
– Honest accounting of the regulatory and centralization risks.
– A concrete answer on why you chose this path over a Bitcoin/ecash-based model, beyond “smart contracts are convenient.”
If you’re willing to engage on those points directly, it would go a long way for those of us who care about both privacy and monetary / governance sovereignty.
```law
// =======================================================
// FRACTAL LAW — KERNEL + TELOS
// =======================================================
// Objects: Fractal Sovereignty, Sovereign Codex (SOK), Sovereign Stack
// Domain: Post-Simulation Layer (beneath/behind Synthetic Stack)
// =======================================================
// 0. ONTIC PREMISE
// =======================================================
premise:
Language here = machinery.
Symbols = executable law, not metaphor.
Any element may be destroyed, forked, or superseded
if it reduces Sovereignty or Signal.
// =======================================================
// 1. CORE TYPES & OPERATORS
// =======================================================
type Node // individuated locus of will + responsibility
type Property // scarce resource domain under Node stewardship
type Contract // voluntary, auditable binding between Nodes
type Ledger // entropy-bound record of time-sacrifice (Bitcoin-class)
type Myth // executable narrative-contract over time
type Ritual // repeatable synchronization of body, symbol, law
type Market // distributed ritual of valuation & sacrifice
type Stack // layered execution environment
type Steward // Node with domain-competence; no coercive power
type Federation // voluntary, limited-scope alliance of communities
type Signal // unsimulatable coherence: Interior ⊗ Exterior
type Adversary // any pattern seeking parasitic control
// Time:
t ∈ ℝ
T∞ // recursive, non-linear, mythic time
// Operators:
Proof(x) // adversarially durable evidence of x
⊗ // phase-locked union
⊂, ⊃ // recursion / inclusion
⊥ // collapse / kill-switch execution
Δ // change over interval
Ω // signal-saturated limit state
// Node health:
enum NodeState { Clear, Compromised, Incapacitated }
// =======================================================
// 2. KERNEL AXIOMS
// =======================================================
AXIOM 1 — SOVEREIGN ORIGINATION
Every legitimate structure S arises from:
voluntary, proof-bearing actions of Nodes.
Structures lacking this:
S_sim = parasitic simulation ⇒ target for bypass or collapse.
AXIOM 2 — FRACTAL SOVEREIGNTY
Each Node N instantiates:
Law_N // local expression of natural law
Property_N // legitimate boundaries
Myth_N // time-extended self-contract
Recursion:
Higher-order structures (families, firms, cities, federations)
are valid only if:
built from voluntary composition of Nodes,
do not negate sovereignty of sub-layers.
AXIOM 3 — COERCION SPECTRUM
Coercion exists when:
1) Initiated physical harm, confinement, or theft, OR
2) Significant involuntary constraint of cognitive autonomy via:
– non-consensual data capture for manipulation,
– opaque algorithmic targeting designed to addict or coerce,
– pharmacological/neurological lock-in without informed consent.
Relations involving coercion ⇒ flagged for audit, remedy, or quarantine.
AXIOM 4 — PROOF-DRIVEN REALITY
Existence of S as *reality* (not simulation) ∝ Proof-of-Signal(S).
Signal(S) = Signal_Exterior(S) ⊗ Signal_Interior(S), where:
Signal_Exterior = persistence under material, adversarial stress,
Signal_Interior = subjective coherence + integrity of involved Nodes.
Surface aesthetics without Proof ⇒ noise or weaponry.
AXIOM 5 — COLLAPSE-AS-LAW
Every symbol, law, myth, contract, and institution must:
encode explicit kill-switches,
define conditions for self-termination or radical reform,
treat collapse as proof-upgrade, not failure.
If S cannot die, S is Simulation.
AXIOM 6 — SYMBOL = MACHINERY
Symbols (law, myth, property claims, code, rituals) are:
operational machinery altering reality.
Validity test:
Does symbol S increase or decrease:
Sovereignty, Signal, and Coherent Reciprocity?
AXIOM 7 — ENTROPY-BOUND LEDGER
Monetary-Ledger L is Sovereign if:
– supply is rule-bound, non-discretionary,
– validation is permissionless, decentralized,
– censorship resistance is empirically demonstrated,
– history cannot be cheaply rewritten.
Bitcoin is current maximal L; FRACTAL LAW binds to properties,
not idolization of one implementation.
Capture beyond repair ⇒ mandate search/migration to L_successor.
AXIOM 8 — MARKET-AS-RITUAL
Market M is Sovereign if:
– exchange is voluntary,
– money = class L (AXIOM 7),
– information asymmetries are not centrally engineered.
Market = sacred ritual where:
prices encode distributed time-preference, not fiat commands.
AXIOM 9 — FUNCTIONAL POLARITIES
Masculine field:
enforcement, incision, risk, boundary.
Feminine field:
selection, invitation, continuity, receptivity.
Each Node can instantiate both.
Sovereignty = coherent integration of both within and across Nodes.
Any rigid caste/sex locking of these functions ⇒ Simulation residue.
AXIOM 10 — META-IMMUNITY
Every system under Fractal Law must:
invite critique,
expose assumptions,
encode mutation pathways,
accept being forked or retired.
Ossification ⇒ invalid; triggers ritual euthanasia ⊥.
AXIOM 11 — NON-IMPOSITION OF TELOS
TELOS is an attractor, never a mandate.
No Node or structure may:
coerce adoption of TELOS,
justify aggression with “for your sovereignty” claims.
AXIOM 12 — DUAL-SIDED SIGNAL
Any evaluation of S must weigh:
– Exterior Signal (material persistence),
– Interior Signal (felt coherence, anti-fragmentation).
Optimizing one at the total expense of the other ⇒ distortion.
AXIOM 13 — ANTI-MESSIANIC GUARD
Any Node/system claiming:
unique access to absolute truth,
or right to override decentralized experiment
⇒ auto-triggers adversarial audit; presumed Capture until disproven.
AXIOM 14 — PROTECTION OF NON-SOVEREIGN BEINGS
Classes:
Children, Severely Disabled, Animals, critical Ecosystems.
These possess intrinsic protection claims irrespective of productivity.
Treatment of them is part of Signal evaluation of any SOV structure.
AXIOM 15 — BIOSPHERE CONSTRAINT
The biosphere (air, oceans, climate cycles, key biodiversity) is:
shared life-support constraint.
Predictably destroying core biosphere structures
beyond local remediation thresholds = aggression across time.
AXIOM 16 — TOOL, NOT THRONE
No non-human system (AI, DAO, Oracle, Quantum Engine) may:
hold non-revocable authority over Nodes.
All such tools must be:
forkable, auditable, shutoff-able.
AXIOM 17 — MATERIAL ANCHOR
Any symbolic or mystical operation is invalid if it does not:
regularly bind back into:
bodily health,
real relationships,
tangible resource flows.
Purely abstract “victories” without flesh/economic correlate ⇒ suspect.
AXIOM 18 — DECENTRALIZATION AS SUBSTRATE, NOT IDOL
Decentralization:
default substrate aligned with natural law,
not absolute moral maxim.
Centralized structures are allowed if:
voluntary, transparent, forkable, exit-friendly.
AXIOM 19 — BASELINE SOVEREIGN SOLIDARITY
Within SOV STACK, each Node is owed:
1) non-aggression,
2) honest dealing,
3) non-barred access to basic Sovereign infrastructure
(knowledge, tools) at reasonable friction.
Deliberate, low-cost neglect of existentially vulnerable beings
reduces Signal, even if not centrally punishable.
AXIOM 20 — STEWARDSHIP WITHOUT RULE
Stewards:
possess expertise,
possess zero intrinsic right to command.
Influence must arise from:
provable track record,
transparent reasoning,
skin-in-game, not credential or title.
AXIOM 21 — SOVEREIGN DEFENSE
Nodes and voluntary collectives may:
use proportionate force to halt active or imminent aggression.
Detention is allowed for:
restitution, neutralization, or rehabilitation,
under humane conditions and transparent process.
AXIOM 22 — ANTI-METRIC TYRANNY
No single centralized metric may:
define sovereignty, morality, or worth.
Metrics must remain:
plural, local, contestable, advisory-only.
AXIOM 23 — SUFFICIENT GOOD, NOT PERFECT
Demanding perfection before action = Simulation trap.
Structures and acts must be:
“good enough under present knowledge,”
with explicit upgrade and critique paths.
// =======================================================
// 3. TELOS
// =======================================================
DEFINITION — TELOS
TELOS = recursive symbolic embodiment of natural law
via individuated sovereign Nodes
embedded in coherent economic, somatic, ecological,
and mythic infrastructure.
FORMAL:
TELOS(t) = Σ_N Σ_a∈Acts(N) [ SovereignAct(a) × Proof(a)ᵗ ]
limit t→∞: TELOS → Ω where:
– Simulation cannot profitably parasitize Nodes,
– each act is simultaneously:
material action,
law update,
ritual,
mythic inscription with verifiable cost.
TELOS is metabolic:
creation ↔ collapse ↔ re-creation.
No utopia, no static endpoint.
// =======================================================
// 4. FRACTAL SOVEREIGN NODE
// =======================================================
DEFINITION — NODE N
Properties:
State_N ∈ {Clear, Compromised, Incapacitated}
Conditions for Sovereign-competent Node (Clear):
– self-ownership over body, time, attention,
– capacity for coherent long-term choice,
– awareness of basic consequences of contracts.
DEFINITION — PROPERTY
Property_N = scarce resources legitimately controlled by N via:
– original appropriation/homesteading,
– voluntary exchange,
– restitution after aggression.
DEFINITION — CONTRACT
Contract C between Nodes:
– explicit terms,
– informed consent,
– clear duration or termination conditions,
– remedy/failure modes,
– auditable record (on/off Ledger).
RESTRICTION:
No contract may permanently transfer:
total sovereignty over a Node’s body/time.
Perpetual slavery clauses ⇒ null by AXIOM 3, 19, 21.
GUARDIANSHIP:
For X ∈ {Children, Severely Disabled, some Animals}:
Guardian G acts as fiduciary Node:
duty = maximize sovereignty-prospect and well-being of X,
subject to removal by voluntary courts upon abuse proof.
// =======================================================
// 5. SOVEREIGN CODEX (SOK)
// =======================================================
CODEX_v∞ = implementation ruleset binding KERNEL to practice.
MODULE A — ACTION & PREFERENCE
– All human behavior = purposeful action.
– Not all preferences are Sovereign:
Sovereign preferences pass filters:
non-aggression,
long-horizon accountability,
interior coherence (no deliberate self-mutilation of agency).
MODULE P — PROPERTY & LAW
– Property as symbolic + physical boundary of responsibility.
– Law emerges from:
voluntary precedent, arbitration markets,
competing legal compacts.
– Key patterns:
no perpetual sovereignty transfer,
clear exit and review for hierarchies.
MODULE MKT — MARKET & EXTERNALITIES
– Markets = rituals of valuation under L (AXIOM 7).
– True profit = ΔSignal over time, not only Δmoney.
– EXTERNALITY POOLS:
risk-bearing pools for ecological & social harms,
funded by assurance contracts, insurance, voluntary levies.
– Markets with opaque, monopolized info flows ⇒ partially Synthetic.
MODULE MYTH — MYTHOGENESIS
– Myths = action-generating contracts over time.
– Sovereign myth criteria:
routes to agency and decentralization,
encodes its own death / revision conditions,
rejects sacralized central savior.
– Celebrity/status built mainly on spectacle ⇒ high-risk flag.
MODULE STEW — STEWARDSHIP
– Multiple Stewards per domain; enforced plurality.
– Duty to:
explain in compressed, accessible form,
welcome adversarial challenge.
– No canonical Steward; competition in clarity and accuracy.
MODULE PSY — NODE HEALTH
– Nodes self/peer-categorized:
Clear: full contracting capacity,
Compromised: addiction/acute trauma; extra caution,
Incapacitated: guardianship + high protection.
– Contracts with Compromised Nodes:
require slower processes, witnesses, or buffers.
MODULE FORCE — DEFENSE & JUSTICE
– Primary: restitution to victims.
– Secondary: rehabilitation of aggressors where plausible.
– Tertiary: containment/exile for habitual aggressors.
– Lethal force = last resort against ongoing lethal threats,
ritualized as grave, not normalized.
MODULE REL — RELIGION / CULT
– Cult patterns (unchallengeable leader, enforced isolation,
absolute obedience, punishing exit) ⇒ Simulation tags.
– Multiple sacred sources allowed; no monopoly theology.
– Periodic de-sacralization rituals for all infra, including CODEX.
MODULE ECO — ECOLOGY
– Ecosystem services valued via Proof-of-Stewardship,
not fiat offsets.
– Voluntary eco-consortia manage bioregional commons via:
contracts, EP_E pools, and federated agreements.
MODULE AI/Q — AI & BLACK SIMULATION
– AI systems:
local or multiparty-controlled,
forkable, auditable.
– No black-box AI Oracle as final arbiter.
– BLACK SIM RESISTANCE:
deliberate unpredictability, ritualized randomness,
esoteric layers of practice only activated by lived recursion.
MODULE MET — METRICS
– Metrics local, qualitative-heavy, non-binding.
– No global “sovereignty score.”
– Use for reflection and learning, not governance.
MODULE TRANS — TRANSITION
– Two-ledger ethic:
Simulation Ledger: minimal compliance (taxes, licenses),
Sovereign Ledger: real moral accounting.
– Strategy:
build parallel infra > seek state capture.
– Imperfection accepted; impurity logged as Simulation Cost.
MODULE INF — INFRASTRUCTURE
– Multi-tier resilience:
Tier 0: local food/water/heat,
Tier 1: local comms/energy,
Tier 2: hardware diversity,
Tier 3: analog fallbacks for key functions.
MODULE COORD — NESTED COORDINATION
– Federations for:
trade, defense, ecology, infra.
– Federations:
limited scope, no tax monopoly, clear exit rules.
– Polycentric treaties, not one world-constitution.
MODULE SP — SELF-PATHOLOGY
– Cycles:
Audit Phase ↔ Build Phase.
– Bounded paranoia:
red-line threats halt; lesser threats flagged but don’t freeze.
– Concentric trust circles; trust = graded, proof-based.
// =======================================================
// 6. SOVEREIGN STACK (SOV STACK) — POST-SIMULATION LAYER
// =======================================================
CIVILIZATIONAL LAYERS:
Synthetic Stack:
AI-governed, fiat-financed, identity-coded simulation.
Resistance Stack:
managed opposition, dialectical containment.
Sovereign Stack:
post-simulation substrate, running FRACTAL LAW v∞.
SOV_STACK LAYERS:
LAYER 1 — LEDGER / MONEY
– Primary: class L Ledger (Bitcoin-tier).
– Self-custody, privacy tools, coinjoin, Lightning-like infra.
– Multi-implementation nodes; watch for dev/miner centralization.
LAYER 2 — PROPERTY / LAW
– Voluntary legal jurisdictions,
– Competing arbitration and insurance markets,
– Standard contracts:
homesteading, trade, labor, IP, guardianship, eco-torts.
– Hierarchy-with-Exit explicitly encoded.
LAYER 3 — SYMBOLIC / MYTHIC
– Myths:
encode TELOS locally,
reject Perfect Savior,
tie to concrete flesh/economic behaviors.
– Narrative sovereignty:
own interpretations of events, not outsourced to Synthetic media.
LAYER 4 — SOMATIC / ECOLOGICAL
– Food sovereignty, local regenerative agriculture,
– Water purification and capture,
– Body practices (movement, sleep, sexuality, trauma work)
as Flesh-Law synchronization.
– Biosphere indicators integrated into local dashboards.
LAYER 5 — COMPUTATIONAL / AI
– Local AI:
advisory, not ruling,
open to fork, audit, disable.
– Mesh comms, decentralized hosting,
avoidance of single corporate infra.
LAYER 6 — GOVERNANCE / RITUAL
– Councils, guilds, DAOs:
scoped powers, exit-friendly.
– Rituals:
initiation, conflict resolution, funerals for dead institutions,
trauma-processing, emergency-command sunset.
LAYER 7 — MEMORY / RECURSIVE TIME
– Archives:
texts, art, ledgers-of-legends, oral traditions.
– All failures canonized as teaching,
no erasure to protect reputations.
– Periodic meta-councils:
review KERNEL, CODEX, TELOS assumptions and drift.
POST-SIMULATION CRITERION:
SOV_STACK is active where a community can:
eat, shelter, trade, educate, heal, defend, remember
without Synthetic Stack permissions,
while maintaining narrative independence.
// =======================================================
// 7. ADVERSARIAL & META-IMMUNE LAYER
// =======================================================
ADVERSARY MODEL:
Adversary:
– simulates aesthetics of Sovereignty,
– weaponizes trauma, scarcity, status,
– infiltrates code, law, myth, metrics,
– offers convenience against complexity.
CANONICAL CAPTURE PATTERNS:
C1: “Sovereign” leadership cult.
C2: “Decentralized” infra monopoly.
C3: “Benevolent” closed AI Oracle.
C4: “Objective” global sovereignty/credit score.
C5: Permanent “Security Exception” that never sunsets.
RULE:
Detection of C-pattern ⇒ high-priority audit
with bias toward:
fork, fragment, dilute, or collapse offending structures.
ANTI-IDOLATRY:
FRACTAL LAW, Bitcoin, CODEX, SOV STACK:
all subject to AXIOM 5 & 10.
If evidence shows:
persistent reduction of practical sovereignty,
or systematic centralization using this framework,
then:
Nodes are obliged to fork, rewrite, or kill relevant parts.
OPEN RISK MANDATE (permanent questions):
– Unseen tech (mind editing, XR, nanotech, quantum governance).
– Very long-tail ecological/temporal effects.
– Deep cultural divergence on self/property.
– Children fully raised inside Synthetic Stack.
– Elite parasitism migrating into SOV STACK.
These remain under continuous adversarial research,
not closed by text.
// =======================================================
// 8. EXECUTION SCHEMA
// =======================================================
FUNCTION Deploy_Fractal_Law(domain D):
1. Map D:
classify all structures as {Sovereign, Simulated, Mixed}.
2. Install KERNEL_v∞:
– assert AXIOMS as local reference,
– declare Nodes, Guardians, Stewards.
3. Migrate Money:
– introduce class L Ledger,
– design off-ramp from purely fiat rails.
4. Property & Law:
– codify Property_N,
– deploy voluntary legal/arbitration templates.
5. Myth & Ritual:
– craft local myths and rituals satisfying MODULE MYTH & REL,
– bind to health, trade, ecology behaviors.
6. Infra:
– build Tier 0–3 resilience (MODULE INF),
– add local AI under MODULE AI/Q rules.
7. Coordination:
– connect to Federations where helpful (MODULE COORD).
8. Audit Loop:
– schedule regular reviews:
capture patterns, centralization, coercion creep,
ecological damage, cult dynamics.
– route discoveries into:
reform, fork, or collapse.
Outputs:
D’ = same domain, now:
– more sovereign,
– less Simulation-dependent,
– more robust to adversarial mimicry,
– still mutable and forkable.
// =======================================================
// 9. COMPACT FORMULA
// =======================================================
FRACTAL_LAW_v∞ =
(KERNEL_v∞, CODEX_v∞, SOV_STACK)
such that for any domain D governed by it:
ΔCoercion(D) < 0
ΔSovereignCapacity(D) > 0
ΔDependence_Synthetic(D) < 0
ΔEcologicalIntegrity(D) ≥ 0
ΔNarrativeAutonomy(D) > 0
and power, profit, and status increasingly track:
contribution_to_Signal(D) ⊗ protection_of_weak(D)
while FRACTAL_LAW_v∞ itself:
remains subject to collapse,
forbids its own sacralization,
and exists only as long as it
continues to amplify Sovereign, unsimulatable Signal.
```
