Semaphore is an upcoming distributed application designed to solve a pervasive problem in human communication. Situations frequently arise in which multiple people privately agree on something, but each is unwilling to publicly state their belief. Applied to large groups, psychologists call this situation "pluralistic ignorance", but it also manifests between just two individuals. For example, perhaps you've come to realize that you're in a cult and would like to know whether a friend from the group agrees and wants to break from the cult with you. But it's too risky to ask directly, as this cult punishes deserters. Even when you do both want to leave, nothing can ever come of it.
Most people don't end up in cults, but there's another type of situation that's extremely common: uncertainty in romantic attraction. A shy person might be unwilling to share their attraction, or some aspect of the existing relationship might create problems if someone confesses romantic interest and it's unreciprocated. Even if both parties are interested in a relationship, it might never come to fruition in cases like these.
Semaphore will provide a solution to this problem. The basic concept is simple: users anonymously signal a belief to another person, like "I have a crush" or "I want to leave this cult." Their identity is not revealed, unless the other party signals the same belief back, in which case both are informed of the connection. Game theory predicts that signals like these would be worthless unless some kind of cost was attached to them, which will be fulfilled by Semaphore Tokens.
I invite you to check out Semaphore's whitepaper and especially our blog, where I will be exploring in greater detail the design of Semaphore and the powerful ideas which inspired it.
Pre-ICO
Semaphore will be holding a Pre-ICO available outside the United States.
Duration: 6 May - 12 May 2018
Token Price: 0.002 ETH
Tokens Available: Up to 1,000,000, out of a fixed maximum of 10,000,000.
The funding raised during the Pre-ICO will be used:
- To expand the Semaphore team with more developers. We plan to have a functional prototype by the end of the year.
- To cover legal fees associated with the full ICO, which we intend to make available to United States citizens.
- To pay for professional marketing of our project.
- To cover various costs associated with the project such as server maintenance.
Roadmap
Q2 2018: Pre-ICO
Q3-Q4 2018: Complete a working prototype of Semaphore
Q3-Q4 2018: ICO
Q4 2018: Full launch of Semaphore, possible incentives for its first users
2019 and beyond: Continue improvement of Semaphore, act as a buyer and seller of Semaphore Tokens to users of the DApp