The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is providing Bitcoin (BTC) bug bounties to enhance both Bitcoin and the Lightning Network.
The HRF has released 10 bounties, each worth 2 BTC, approximately $58,500 at current rates, with the aim of supporting the development of Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, as per an official statement.
“An individual or team who fully solves any of the ten challenges will be eligible to receive a bounty of 2 BTC,” the announcement stated.
The HRF mentioned that additional bounties may be introduced in the future.
One of the bug bounty challenges focuses on improving the user interface (UI) for Bitcoin projects. Currently, these projects rely on a proprietary design software called Figma. The goal is to offer developers free access to a Bitcoin UI guide to enhance user experiences.
Another challenge aims to expand and strengthen Nostr, an open-source and censorship-resistant social network backed by Jack Dorsey. Nostr has gained significant attention in recent months, especially among the technically inclined crypto community.
The HRF is also offering bounties to improve Bitcoin wallets, including a specific challenge related to generating and memorizing seed phrases while crossing borders, supporting users seeking privacy and security.
The funding for these bounties, totaling 20 BTC, comes from the HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund, which is dedicated to promoting financial freedom.
Bitcoin activists can submit their applications until December 31, 2024. Submissions will be evaluated by external industry experts, and any unclaimed bounties will be reinvested into the HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund.
This is not the first time the HRF has initiated a Bitcoin bounty program. In December 2021, they partnered with the Lightning Network payments platform Strike for a similar initiative, consisting of three challenges, each worth 3 BTC, running until December 31, 2022.
The bug bounties are intended to incentivize developers to contribute to the improvement of Bitcoin’s usability, privacy, and security, aligning with the HRF’s mission to support activists’ digital tools.