Blockchain startup OB1, the developers of decentralized shopping platform OpenBazaar, have announced Haven, a privacy-focused app for socializing with friends and making purchases with cryptocurrencies.
The project was announced by Brian Hoffman, founder and CEO of OB1, at the North American Bitcoin Conference in Miami. The developers claim that Haven will “enable users to shop, chat, and send cryptocurrencies privately from their mobile device.”
The ability to chat with friends and family on social networks has been tainted with data breaches and reports of the networks tracking user activity and selling collected data to third parties.
According to a company announcement, Haven will have a little bit of everything. It will "combine a multiple-cryptocurrency wallet, a social network and a truly peer-to-peer marketplace" for an inclusive economy and global participation with a focus on privacy.
Users can set up an e-commerce store using just their smartphones. They can also purchase items through the marketplace using cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. To speed up the shopping process, Haven features a multi-wallet where you can keep, receive and send the four cryptocurrencies supported on the platform: bitcoin, bitcoin cash, zcoin and litecoin.
Haven comes with a social feed, complete with features that allow users to share, like, comment and repost, prominent on the app.
To ensure a secure shopping experience, Haven leverages the OpenBazaar software and InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), a decentralized and distributed file storage system.
OpenBazaar is an open source project for building decentralized e-commerce stores that doesn't require go-betweens to function. Think of it as an eBay without fees.
“We believe users should be in control of their own data and are inspired by how cryptocurrencies allow them to trade with one another around the world. Users can connect this way now without needing access to traditional payment processors or using giant e-commerce platforms that collect all their personal data,” Hoffman explained in the company announcement.
“Haven is OB1’s most advanced project representing our mission to bring a convenient but private social marketplace experience to users.”