- 2018: Inception of the Nym mixnet
- 2019: First mixnodes and validators onboarded after launch at Chaos Computer Congress
- Pre-seed funding round, led by Binance Labs: 2.5M CHF
- Nym Litepaper published
- Mixnet built in Rust for better performance
- Tokenized &ldquo;Nymph&rdquo; testnet open to public
- Nym wallet and explorers launched

The beginnings: Cypherpunks dream of mixnets

- Finney and Milhon testnets completed
- Nym [whitepaper](https://nymtech.net/nym-whitepaper.pdf) published
- Closed Polychain led seed round funding - 6M CHF
- Closed a16z led funding round - 13M CHF
- Nyx chain launched
- Token generation event
- Nym tokenized mainnet live

The year of the Mainnet: Dawn of a new era in privacy

**NYM token and tooling**
- NYM token public sale on CoinList
- Mix nodes, staking, token liquidity, and custody introduced into Nym ecosystem
- New [Nym Wallet](https://nymtech.net/download/wallet) released
- NymConnect app released via SOCKS5 proxy
- Nym clients enabling custom integrations released
- Nym tokenomics paper published: Reward sharing for mixnets
- Telegram, Electrum Wallet, Matrix, and Keybase integrations via NymConnect

**Community foundations**
- [Universal Privacy Alliance](https://privacyalliance.com/) co-founded with Manta, Secret, Orchid, ECC, Status, Oasis, Aztec, Aleo, MobileCoin, Anoma and Railgun
- First Nym Shipyard Academy with 6k participants
- First round of Shipyard grants
- Nym Innovation Fund launched

Incentivising privacy: the NYM token in action

**Nym tooling**
- Rust and typescript SDKs released
- Zk-nyms announced at SXSW
- Mixfetch launched
- Nym SDK released
- [NymVPN Litepaper](https://nymvpn.com/en/nymVPN-litepaper.pdf) published
- NymVPN presented at Chaos Communication Congress
- [Nymvpn.com](https://nymvpn.com/en) launched

**The Nym Network**
- Ecosystem in Latin America established, growing to 30+ nodes in the region
- Nym Shipyard Academy with 2000+ registrations
- Nymja ambassador program launched
- Nym mixnet integrations with Blockstream green, Monero, Alephium wallets
- Chainsafe partnership for shielded Ethereum consensus clients
- Partnerships with Side protocol, Aztec, Near, and Woleet
- London and Paris offices opened
- First community censorship tests
- Delegations Program (30M NYM) launched to support decentralization and Nym node operator growth


Mixnet decentralisation: Nym becomes a global privacy community

**Launch NymVPN**
- NymVPN blog launched
- NymVPN Alpha launched for private testing
- NymVPN [Help Center and Customer Support](https://support.nymvpn.com/hc/en-us) launched
- NymVPN Beta launched for free, public testing
- Android, Linux, and Windows localizations in 10+ languages
- NymVPN Fast Mode integrated with WireGuard protocol
- Censorship resistance research project started
- Launch of [Nym Trust Center](https://nymvpn.com/en/trust-center)

**Grow the Nym Network & Community**
- Nym Squad League launched
- &ldquo;Project Smoosh&rdquo; enables operators to run both mixnode and gateway mode
- New rewards scheme for Nym nodes with gateway rewarding
- First public security audit of the Nym network
- Nym Delegations Program scaled up with rolling registrations, community-built applicant management system, and an increased budget of 40m NYM
- New Nym node operator tooling
- Nym Operators and Validators Terms & Conditions
- Scale to 30+ entry and exit gateways 

**On the stove**
- Commercial launch of NymVPN and first paying customers
- Launch zk-nyms for unlinkability&nbsp;
- Nym rebrand and new consolidated Nym web presence on nym.com
- Address network leaks on DNS and IPv6
- Develop mixnet integrations for key blockchains like Celestia & Aleo
- Complete Zcash integration

Launching NymVPN: The privacy app the world needs

**New NymVPN features**
- Censorship resistance
- Killswitch and lockdown mode
- Split tunneling
- Ad blocker

**Improving the Nym network**
- Scale NymVPN to 100k users
- Scale to 50+ entry and exit gateways
- Censorship resistant gateways and extended gateway use cases
- Post-quantum security
- Extend mixnet support to blockchains
- Partner with reliable privacy apps like Signal messenger and Brave browser
- Secure key management and optimization

Privacy for everyone, everywhere

Stories by Nym on Medium


<h4>NymVPN stable release &amp; NYM buyback before&nbsp;launch</h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*V3waG3AD_-3eWfgB_H-9Gg.jpeg"></figure><p><strong>Dear friends and fellow freedom fighters,</strong></p>
<p>We&rsquo;re in the final push to the launch of NymVPN to the world in <strong>January 2025</strong>! But now&rsquo;s no time for publicity, just hard facts and tasks. Getting to launch means hitting crucial milestones, and testers and stakers play a big part in the&nbsp;success.</p>
<p>November marked <strong>the first milestone with the </strong><a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nymvpn-v2024-11-is-here-6186d49e3c8d"><strong>stable release of NymVPN</strong></a><strong>.</strong> This update improves network security and stability for users, but also lays the foundation for user payments being unlinkable to their use of the&nbsp;app.</p>
<p><strong>The Nym network has had a major upgrade with the Magura release </strong>resulting in measurable improvements to reliability. The release begins the process of culling outdated nodes and ensuring equitable rewarding.</p>
<p>In preparation for launch, staking on nodes is crucial for the health of the network. So if you&rsquo;re wondering which nodes you should stake, here&rsquo;s a <a href="https://explorer.nym.spectredao.net/account/n1rnxpdpx3kldygsklfft0gech7fhfcux4zst5lw">list of top performing Nym nodes</a> who are currently in the official <strong>Nym Delegations Program</strong>. Staking NYM on them will go a long way to improving network performance while also ensuring a good&nbsp;APY.</p>
<p>To bootstrap the Nym treasury and improve network performance ahead of launch, Nym is conducting a <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nym-token-buyback-33e3ec88c4dc">token buyback</a><strong> </strong>of <strong>$1 million USD in NYM</strong>. As payments for NymVPN begin to roll in, there will be a <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/the-nym-token-flow-powering-the-worlds-most-private-network-48c15db379c5">perpetual NYM buyback</a> organically linked to the demand for and usage of the app. The goal of Nym tokenomics is two-fold: the <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nymvpn-v2024-11-is-here-6186d49e3c8d">value of NYM</a> will be linked to paid usage of the app, and the increase of users will improve the privacy of&nbsp;all.</p>
<p>The next major NymVPN release is scheduled for December to introduce <strong>zk-nym credentials</strong> and <strong>beta payments</strong>. With this coming release, the full infrastructure of NymVPN will be in place before being rigorously tested for launch over the holidays. Want to help the team prepare for it? Test, stake, mix packets, and take your seat onboard with&nbsp;us.</p>
<p>2025 is the year of an internet free of surveillance for&nbsp;all.</p>
<p><strong>Nym Core</strong></p>
<h3>In the&nbsp;media</h3>
<p><strong>CNBC:</strong> &ldquo;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2024/11/13/chelsea-manning-censorship-still-a-dominant-threat.html">Chelsea Manning: Censorship still a dominant threat</a>&rdquo; (live interview)</p>
<p><strong>PCMag:</strong><em> </em>&ldquo;<a href="https://uk.pcmag.com/vpn/155163/chelsea-manning-vpns-and-tor-arent-enough-for-digital-privacy">Worried about digital privacy? VPNs and Tor aren&rsquo;t enough anymore</a>&rdquo;<br><em>&ldquo;[S]ecurity consultant Chelsea Manning explains how mixnets can be used to get around VPN bans in countries plagued by internet censorship.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p><strong>Decrypt:</strong><em> </em>&ldquo;<a href="https://decrypt.co/291657/privacy-project-nym-nsa-proof-vpn">Privacy project Nym is building an &lsquo;NSA-proof&rsquo; VPN</a>&rdquo;<br><em>&ldquo;Harry Halpin and Chelsea Manning explain the workings of the ZK-powered privacy project&rsquo;s super-secure VPN.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p><strong>Decrypt:</strong><em> </em>&ldquo;<a href="https://decrypt.co/videos/interviews/igShYKNq/nym-launching-worlds-first-decentralized-mixnet-vpn-ceo?fbclid=IwY2xjawGsKVhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUKTkVGd_yuIsOeZTQClbKJjkO2vm5L6wHgP_opL6qG67zG1erV83T72Nw_aem_9q_-ahw-fpBDYVssrZgy0A">Nym launching &lsquo;world&rsquo;s first decentralized mixnet&rsquo; VPN: CEO</a>&rdquo; (live interview)</p>
<p><strong>The Irish Times:</strong><em> </em>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2024/11/13/whistleblower-warns-of-more-personal-data-threats-under-trump-presidency/">Whistleblower Chelsea Manning warns of more personal data threats under Trump presidency</a>&rdquo;</p>
<p><em>&ldquo;[Vulnerable] groups of people should absolutely up their game when it comes to privacy and anonymising tools.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p><strong>CyberNews:</strong><em> </em>&ldquo;<a href="https://cybernews.com/security/wikileaks-whistleblower-chelsea-manning-battles-ai-surveillance/">WikiLeaks whistleblower Chelsea Manning battles AI surveillance with NSA-proof VPN</a>&rdquo; (listen to podcast&nbsp;<a href="https://techblogwriter.co.uk/chelsea-manning-and-harry-halpin-nymvpn/">here</a>)</p>
<p><em>&ldquo;[Manning and Halpin] explain why traditional privacy tools like VPNs are failing in an era of AI surveillance and how NymVPN&rsquo;s mixnet technology could be the solution for true digital anonymity.&rdquo;</em></p>
<h3>NymVPN</h3>
<h4>NymVPN 2024.11 is&nbsp;here</h4>
<p>The <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nymvpn-v2024-11-is-here-6186d49e3c8d">latest release of NymVPN</a> establishes a stable and secured infrastructure for the launch of payments and anonymous credentials next month. Great products, afterall, are built in phases. <strong>NymVPN 2024.11</strong> includes:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<strong>Improved user experience:</strong> A streamlined sign-up / sign-in flow allows your single anonymous access code to be used to connect up to 10&nbsp;devices.</li>
<li>
<strong>Anonymous access:</strong> The revamped login system prepares the way for <strong>zk-nyms</strong> which will allow you to pay for NymVPN without ever being linked to your use of the&nbsp;app.</li>
<li>
<strong>Security updates and bug fixes:</strong> General improvements make for better app performance and security following an external security&nbsp;audit.</li>
<li>
<strong>Improved connectivity:</strong> A new state machine significantly enhances the stability of network connections.</li>
</ul>
<p>This app version is currently compatible with <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en/download/macos">MacOS</a>, <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en/download/linux">Linux</a>, and <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/nymvpn-fast-secure-vpn/id6471254143">iOS</a>. Versions for Android and Windows will soon follow, so stay in touch on socials for announcements!</p>
<p>Remember, <strong>NymVPN Beta</strong> is still free for everyone to test until launch in January 2025, so <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en">get your anonymous access code&nbsp;today</a>!</p>
<h4>NymVPN marketing</h4>
<p>The Nym marketing team is gearing up for the January launch campaign. Discussions with privacy-focused tech companies and blockchains are in the works, and an affiliate marketing campaign to get NymVPN before the eyes of over 10 millions of eyes worldwide in January is well underway. Expect a big marketing push as the New Year arrives when the app is ready for the general&nbsp;public.</p>
<h4>Nym rebrand</h4>
<p>The <strong>Nym rebrand</strong> is in its final stages, and there are big things on the stove for the New Year! At the beginning of January, you can look forward to some treats: a new visual identity for Nym, a freshly stylized experience of the NymVPN app, and a unified nym.com domain! Look out for <strong>Nym&rsquo;s New Year&rsquo;s Resolutions</strong> for a sneak&nbsp;peak!</p>
<h3>The Nym&nbsp;network</h3>
<h4>Magura network&nbsp;update</h4>
<p>November&rsquo;s <strong>Magura network release</strong> improves the reliability of the Nym network and updates Nym tokenomics. And the results are noticeable already with measurable improvements on reliability.</p>
<p>The Magura release includes the roll-out of &ldquo;naive rewarding&rdquo; as an interim step in the token economics powering the network before it goes to fully paid access. And it includes the <strong>completion of project smoosh</strong>, combining gateway and mixnode functionality into a single Nym node&nbsp;binary.</p>
<h4>Staking</h4>
<p>The Magura update has also begun the process of culling non-performing and outdated nodes. As a staker, you should now check your nodes to make sure they are still eligible for&nbsp;rewards.</p>
<p>When in doubt, stake on Nym nodes that are in the official <strong>Delegations Program</strong> (DP) because they are required to meet the latest requirements! You can find the DP program wallet and list of top quality nodes&nbsp;<a href="https://explorer.nymtech.net/account/n1rnxpdpx3kldygsklfft0gech7fhfcux4zst5lw">here</a>.</p>
<h4>Explorer</h4>
<p>In the wake of Magura, Nym explorers are getting a major revamp. The official Nym network explorer remains <a href="https://explorer.nymtech.net/">here</a>. The explorer currently shows both upgraded Nym nodes as well as legacy gateways and mixnodes to enable a smooth transition to the revamped&nbsp;network.</p>
<p>Operators and stakers can look forward to an <strong>Explorer V2 launching very soon</strong> with additional staking and operator features!</p>
<h4>Important changes for operators</h4>
<p>Magura includes <strong>five main changes </strong>that operators need to be aware&nbsp;of:</p>
<ol>
<li>
<strong>NYM reward pool is now distributed across 5 layers</strong> of nodes to include entry and exit gateways as well as three layers of mix&nbsp;nodes.</li>
<li>
<strong>Nym nodes are now multi-functional.</strong> Operators now simply run a Nym node and then enable gateway and mix node&nbsp;modes.</li>
<li>
<strong>Project smoosh is complete. </strong>This means that operators simply run Nym nodes and the mixnet contract now only &ldquo;sees&rdquo; Nym nodes. Operators will have to run up to date software to be included in the active set and gateways will have to get stake for the first time in order to be selected to the active&nbsp;set.</li>
<li>
<strong>Node selection algorithm now includes a configuration score </strong>to determine if a node is included in the active set: <em>Selection = </em><strong><em>config score</em></strong><em> * total stake * performance ^ 20. </em>This is to cull any outdated nodes from the set and make sure the network is running up to date software.</li>
<li>
<strong>Operators now must</strong> <strong>agree to operator </strong><a href="https://nymtech.net/terms-and-conditions/operators/v1.0.0"><strong>Terms &amp; Conditions</strong></a> to confirm legally that you do not gather logs on&nbsp;users.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Community</h3>
<h4>Nym Squad League: October leaderboard</h4>
<p>Compete for over 50,000 $NYM in prizes this season with other members. Check out the October leaderboard <a href="https://forum.nymtech.net/t/leaderboard-nym-squad-league-october-2024/848">here</a>. There are even more grants and up to 1m $NYM for rewards in the Nym Squad Wealth Fund treasury for this season which will be used to reward other community initiatives. Here&rsquo;s everything you need to know before <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nym-squad-league-welcome-to-the-fall-season-63983347697a">getting&nbsp;started</a>.</p>
<h4>Bring the&nbsp;noise!</h4>
<p>The motto and core mission of this Nym Squad League season is: <strong>Bring the noise!</strong> Last month, the Nym community got VERY LOUD with their traffic! Everyone who connects to NymVPN in Anonymous Mode can post their screenshots on X/Twitter and report it on the Nym forum for more benefits.</p>
<p>See who won 1000 $NYM in October for the Bring the Noise campaign by staying connected for the longest time <a href="https://forum.nymtech.net/t/leaderboard-nym-squad-league-october-2024/848">here</a>. Here&rsquo;s how <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/bring-the-noise-0491ab218bc8">you can participate</a>.</p>
<h4>Weekly Community Calls</h4>
<p>Nym community calls happen every week on Nym Youtube or Twitch, <strong>Thursdays at 14:00 UTC</strong>. Tune in for your weekly scoop on all things Nym! You can find all of April community calls on <a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoc3wV2YJYwpMUTCM9MPAwB2bWGhVMqCa&amp;si=iJoqPwF5uhxYi78O">this YouTube playlist</a>.</p>
<p>Join the community calls&nbsp;for:</p>
<ul>
<li>Product development updates</li>
<li>Special guests from other projects and friends of&nbsp;Nym</li>
<li>A chance to ask your own questions</li>
<li>And of course, lots of friendly banter with the hosts, the team, and the wider Nym community.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Events</h3>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*DT7aLO4UfcOPJzX-2Ml2Sw.jpeg"></figure><p>The Fall events season has come to a close, but it was a very busy one! It meant many overnight flights, but the Nym core teams managed to do it all in one week: from <strong>DevCon in Bangkok</strong> to <strong>Web Summit in Lisbon</strong>, Nym showcased NymVPN and its network to thousands of people! <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nym-from-east-to-west-devcon-and-web-summit-2024-fc0f5db20504">Check out all the talks</a> Nym gave from East to&nbsp;West!</p>
<p>Don&rsquo;t worry if you couldn&rsquo;t make it, watch whole Nym presentations here:</p>
<ul>
<li>Harry Halpin: &ldquo;<a href="https://youtu.be/4Ir-fptXPr8">Why VPNs are a scam and what to do about&nbsp;it</a>&rdquo;</li>
<li>Harry Halpin &amp; Max Hampshire, &ldquo;<a href="https://youtu.be/OZwG_Tx1hdA">History and Philosophy of Cypherpunk</a>&rdquo;</li>
<li>Max Hampshire, &ldquo;<a href="https://app.devcon.org/schedule/XYRFXT">From Packets to Privacy: Understanding and evolving network security</a>&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
<p>The crowds couldn&rsquo;t be more different, but the appeal was the same: the world needs something<a href="https://nymvpn.com/en/blog/more-than-a-vpn"> more than what traditional VPNs</a> are offering. We need more access to information, more control of our data, more anonymity in what we do and who we communicate with&nbsp;online.</p>
<p>Next stop, the full launch of <strong>NymVPN in Washington D.C., January&nbsp;2025</strong>!</p>
<h3>One last&nbsp;thing:</h3>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/680/0*HCxqGlYPSpHM0-_3"></figure><h3>Join the Nym Community</h3>
<p><a href="https://discord.com/invite/nym"><strong><em>Discord</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://t.me/nymtech"> <strong><em>Telegram</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://matrix.to/#/%23general:nymtech.chat"> <strong><em>Element</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://twitter.com/nymproject">&nbsp;<strong><em>Twitter</em></strong></a></p>
<h3>Privacy loves&nbsp;company</h3>
<p><a href="https://t.me/nymchan">English</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymchina"> &#20013;&#25991;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_Russian"> &#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1081;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_turkey"> T&uuml;rk&ccedil;e</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymtechvn"> Ti&#7871;ng Vi&#7879;t</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymjapanese"> &#26085;&#26412;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymfrench"> Fran&ccedil;aise</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYMSPANISH"> Espa&ntilde;ol</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymportuguese"> Portugu&ecirc;s</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymkorea">&nbsp;&#54620;&#44397;&#51064;</a></p>
<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&amp;referrerSource=full_rss&amp;postId=eb809fd14f1f" width="1" height="1" alt=""><hr>
<p><a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nym-in-november-eb809fd14f1f">Nym in November</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/">nymtech</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


Nym in November


<h4><em>Stable release prepares the way to full&nbsp;launch</em></h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*apEtAYOsYyLFomrY"></figure><p>The latest stable version of <strong>NymVPN v2024.11</strong> is now released for MacOS, Linux, and iOS, with Android to be available early next&nbsp;week.</p>
<p>This app release follows last week&rsquo;s major Magura network update and improves app performance, security, and connectivity. This is a big technical boost ahead of the <strong>launch of zk-nyms &amp; beta payments in December 2024</strong> and the <strong>full commercial launch of NymVPN in January&nbsp;2025</strong>.</p>
<p>NymVPN v2024.11 includes a <strong>streamlined log in flow</strong> and major <strong>network security&nbsp;fixes</strong>.</p>
<h3>Compatibility</h3>
<p><strong>NymVPN v2024.11 </strong>is currently released&nbsp;for:</p>
<ul>
<li>MacOS</li>
<li>Linux</li>
<li>
<a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/nymvpn-fast-secure-vpn/id6471254143">iOS</a> (currently not yet available in Apple Store France, but can be <a href="https://testflight.apple.com/join/0vmRJNrL">downloaded here</a>)</li>
</ul>
<p>The <strong>Android release</strong> will follow early next week once bugs are properly addressed.</p>
<h3>Magura network&nbsp;release</h3>
<p>The Nym network underwent a significant upgrade last week to prepare for NymVPN v2024.11. This includes some breaking changes for operators. But most important for NymVPN users is that now all Nym nodes are configured to function as both mix nodes and gateways for clients and to receive equal rewards. <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nym-virtuous-token-cycle-next-step-magura-fc5eb3fd2941">Read more</a> on what this means for the Nym tokenomics powering the privacy network at the foundation of&nbsp;NymVPN.</p>
<h3>Account sign-up / sign-in&nbsp;flow</h3>
<p>There is now a new, streamlined system for signing up for NymVPN and logging into the app from multiple&nbsp;devices.</p>
<ul>
<li>Create account on the <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en">nymvpn.com</a> with a recovery phrase, and make sure to securely save&nbsp;it!</li>
<li>Use your recovery phrase to log into NymVPN on MacOS, Linux, mobile Android (coming next week), or iOS. Windows will be coming next&nbsp;month</li>
<li>You can then add (up to 10) additional devices by logging in with the same recovery&nbsp;phrase</li>
</ul>
<p>* Note that fair usage is now enforced from the centralized API based on the anonymous credential. Users can view their account plan fair usage&nbsp;summary.</p>
<h3>Fixes following security&nbsp;audit</h3>
<p>Since the July security audit conducted by Cure 53, the Nym team has been working on addressing all the identified bugs and network leaks identified in the report. This release addresses issues related to the authentication with gateways (STS) and session key generation. The Nym SDK has been upgraded to fix these issues in the NymVPN&nbsp;app.</p>
<p>Stay tuned for a full report on these fixes in the <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en/trust-center">Nym Trust&nbsp;Center</a>.</p>
<h3>State Machine</h3>
<p>A state machine is an important VPN component for maintaining reliable network connections. State machines have now been integrated into WireGuard, daemon, VPNlib, and account controller. This will lead to a more seamless user experience in switching between NymVPN modes and connecting with gateways.</p>
<h3>Next stop: zk-nyms, beta payments, and plugging all&nbsp;leaks</h3>
<p>The next release of NymVPN is scheduled for <strong>10&ndash;15 December 2024</strong> and will introduce beta payments with <strong>zk-nyms for fully unlinkable traffic</strong> through NymVPN, as well as major leak&nbsp;fixes.</p>
<h4>zk-nyms issuance and&nbsp;sending</h4>
<p>Zk-nyms are the foundation of anonymous access with NymVPN: they ensure that you can pay for access to the Nym network with full anonymity, even from Nym&nbsp;itself!</p>
<p>When you pay for a traditional, centralized VPN service, your usage of the app, and even your traffic records if they are kept, can be directly linked to your identity through your payment&nbsp;records.</p>
<p>Nym&rsquo;s novel solution is a <strong>zero-knowledge access credential</strong>, whose issuance system is currently being piloted into the NymVPN app. Keep in mind that the real value of zk-nyms comes with unlinking your payment records for your usage of the networks. This means that when NymVPN payments go live next month, users can rest assured that their personal information won&rsquo;t be compromised.</p>
<h4>DNS and IPv6&nbsp;leaks</h4>
<p>Currently, all leaks while connected with NymVPN are fixed. The Nym dev team is continuing its work in plugging all leaks that occur prior to connecting with the NymVPN app. Nym remains committed to not releasing a full commercial version of the app until all these risks are fully addressed.</p>
<p>Remember, the success of NymVPN depends a lot on our dedicated community of testers. If you find the problem, we&rsquo;ll fix&nbsp;it!</p>
<h3>Join the Nym Community</h3>
<p><a href="https://discord.com/invite/nym"><strong><em>Discord</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://t.me/nymtech"> <strong><em>Telegram</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://matrix.to/#/%23general:nymtech.chat"> <strong><em>Element</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://twitter.com/nymproject">&nbsp;<strong><em>Twitter</em></strong></a></p>
<h3>Privacy loves&nbsp;company</h3>
<p><a href="https://t.me/nymchan">English</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymchina"> &#20013;&#25991;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_Russian"> &#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1081;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_turkey"> T&uuml;rk&ccedil;e</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymtechvn"> Ti&#7871;ng Vi&#7879;t</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymjapanese"> &#26085;&#26412;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymfrench"> Fran&ccedil;aise</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYMSPANISH"> Espa&ntilde;ol</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymportuguese"> Portugu&ecirc;s</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymkorea">&nbsp;&#54620;&#44397;&#51064;</a></p>
<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&amp;referrerSource=full_rss&amp;postId=6186d49e3c8d" width="1" height="1" alt=""><hr>
<p><a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nymvpn-v2024-11-is-here-6186d49e3c8d">NymVPN v2024.11 is here!</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/">nymtech</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


NymVPN v2024.11 is here!


<h4><em>Magura network update and readying latest release of&nbsp;NymVPN</em></h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*rzOyuCzbn55SeHne"></figure><p>Nym&rsquo;s major network update (Magura) went live last Tuesday, setting the stage for what will become a <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nym-virtuous-token-cycle-next-step-magura-fc5eb3fd2941">novel form of Nym tokenomics</a>. With payments live, usage of NymVPN will be linked with NYM buy-orders which in turn will be rewarded to Nym node operators providing privacy protections for&nbsp;users.</p>
<p>After some delays as a result of network instability following the Magura release, the release of the latest NymVPN app is now <strong>scheduled for next&nbsp;week</strong>.</p>
<p>Below is everything you need to know about these two important releases. Here&rsquo;s the full <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en/blog/nymvpn-roadmap-through-2024">timeline</a> for NymVPN finishing out 2024. Don&rsquo;t forget, this is all in lead up to the two big&nbsp;things:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<strong>December 2024:</strong> Early bird access to the robust NymVPN app with payments!</li>
<li>
<strong>January 2025:</strong> The official launch of NymVPN to the world, at a symbolic time when it needs a real paradigm shift in online&nbsp;privacy</li>
</ul>
<p>Remember, <strong>NymVPN Beta</strong> is still open and free to use, so <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en">sign up today</a> and instantly receive a <strong>free 30-day access voucher</strong>. Nym needs your testing, testing,&nbsp;testing!</p>
<h3>Network</h3>
<p>The Nym network underwent a major update with the <strong>release of Magura v2024.13</strong>. This release prepares the network for the latest stable release of NymVPN next week as well as the foundational tokenomics for node operators.</p>
<h4>What changes with&nbsp;Magura?</h4>
<ul>
<li>
<strong>Operation smoosh is complete:</strong> Now all Nym nodes will function as both mix nodes and entry/exit gateways.</li>
<li>
<strong>Rewards distribution:</strong> Rewards will be distributed equally across all three layers: entry gateways, mix nodes, and exit gateways.</li>
<li>
<strong>Removing under-performing nodes:</strong> Nodes are now required to run the latest Nym binaries and to agree to the node <a href="https://nymtech.net/terms-and-conditions/operators/v1.0.0">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> committing importantly to <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en/blog/nyms-zero-knowledge-network">no-log&rsquo;s policies</a>. This will increase the overall performance of the Nym network for clients. Nodes not meeting these conditions will not be eligible to be part of the active&nbsp;set.</li>
</ul>
<p>Read about all the changes to <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nym-virtuous-token-cycle-next-step-magura-fc5eb3fd2941">Nym operator tokenomics here</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/3G1pJqvO2VM?si=9QBbkfldnycyD0_C">watch the recent Node Operator Town Hall</a> for more&nbsp;details.</p>
<h4>Patch for mainnet instability</h4>
<p>While the Magura release worked stably in sandbox, the mainnet release led to some unexpected network instability. The dev team has now worked through the issues and <strong>released a Magura patch</strong> today which should begin to stabilize connectivity once&nbsp;again.</p>
<p>Huge thanks to the operator community for being active and responsive!</p>
<h4>Note for NYM&nbsp;stakers</h4>
<p>If you&rsquo;re staking on Nym nodes, please stay tuned for guidance next week on restaking your tokens following this week&rsquo;s network&nbsp;changes.</p>
<h4>Changes to explorers</h4>
<p>The release of Magura means that current explorers will soon be replaced. For the time being, please refer to <a href="https://harbourmaster.nymtech.net/">harbourmaster</a> for node and network information.</p>
<h3>NymVPN</h3>
<h4>NymVPN v2024.11 coming next&nbsp;week</h4>
<p>Due to the network issues following the Magura release, the latest stable release of the NymVPN app, originally scheduled for Nov. 21, has been postponed until next week while the dev team implements needed fixes. Nym remains committed to delivering the highest quality technology to our community.</p>
<p>This delay will not affect the next release and launch of payments on <strong>12 December 2024</strong> as&nbsp;promised</p>
<h4>What to expect from NymVPN&nbsp;v2024.11</h4>
<p>Here are some of the important things to expect from the latest NymVPN&nbsp;release:</p>
<ul>
<li>A streamlined sign-up/sign-in flow</li>
<li>Network and connection stability thanks to state machine implementations across&nbsp;apps</li>
<li>The launch of the zk-nym credential system ahead of payments in&nbsp;December</li>
<li>Security fixes as a result of the July 2024 security&nbsp;audit</li>
</ul>
<p>Stay tuned for the NymVPN v2024.11 release announcement next week for compatible devices and confirmed changes.</p>
<p>Until next week comrades! Of course, join our channels for more up to date information and live discussion with the core&nbsp;team!</p>
<h3>Join the Nym Community</h3>
<p><a href="https://discord.com/invite/nym"><strong><em>Discord</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://t.me/nymtech"> <strong><em>Telegram</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://matrix.to/#/%23general:nymtech.chat"> <strong><em>Element</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://twitter.com/nymproject">&nbsp;<strong><em>Twitter</em></strong></a></p>
<h3>Privacy loves&nbsp;company</h3>
<p><a href="https://t.me/nymchan">English</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymchina"> &#20013;&#25991;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_Russian"> &#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1081;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_turkey"> T&uuml;rk&ccedil;e</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymtechvn"> Ti&#7871;ng Vi&#7879;t</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymjapanese"> &#26085;&#26412;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymfrench"> Fran&ccedil;aise</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYMSPANISH"> Espa&ntilde;ol</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymportuguese"> Portugu&ecirc;s</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymkorea">&nbsp;&#54620;&#44397;&#51064;</a></p>
<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&amp;referrerSource=full_rss&amp;postId=e7c48a7e511f" width="1" height="1" alt=""><hr>
<p><a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/weekly-progress-report-november-22-dev-update-e7c48a7e511f">Weekly progress report: November 22 dev update</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/">nymtech</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


Weekly progress report: November 22 dev update


<h4><em>Progressing from free Beta network to fair usage and a market-ready Nym&nbsp;network</em></h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*gN5UolCLWVK43oq8"></figure><p>NymVPN is about to launch. This will be the first commercial application to run on the Nym network, taking the network from its current free and experimental phase to a fully fledged, market-ready, and secure traffic routing network for the age of&nbsp;AI.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nym-token-buyback-33e3ec88c4dc">NYM token buy-back</a> is currently trialing the mechanics of a perpetual buyback mechanism to be provided by NymVPN subscriptions.</p>
<p>To get there, Nym&rsquo;s tokenomics will be going through some major upgrades over the next three months. This article provides an overview of upcoming changes to Nym tokenomics and contains important information for node operators, stakers, and those of you who have been following Nym&rsquo;s evolution over the past couple of&nbsp;years.</p>
<h3>Snapshot of changes to Nym tokenomics</h3>
<p><strong>Nym has so far been free to use</strong> and nodes have been bootstrapped with rewards from a mixmining pool. With the <strong>launch of NymVPN app </strong>the network is <strong>entering into paid phase</strong> and rewards will be correlated to actual network usage. How will this&nbsp;work?</p>
<p><strong>User subscriptions will trigger NYM token buy-orders</strong>, which are then used to reward operators, stakers, and the Nym team for running and maintaining the network software, creating a <strong>flywheel effect</strong> that benefits the whole ecosystem. This <strong>closes the loop in the virtuous cycle of Nym token economics</strong>.</p>
<p>To get there, Nym token economics has to go through a series of changes, the first being &ldquo;naive rewarding&rdquo; to update the reward algorithm. This is scheduled to happen <strong>in the next 24 hours with the Magura&nbsp;release.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Stakers and operators have to take action to continue to earn rewards. Breaking changes to APIs </strong>can be viewed&nbsp;<a href="https://github.com/nymtech/nym/pull/4903">here</a>.</p>
<p>For a full presentation of the changes and what they mean for operators, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/3G1pJqvO2VM?si=9QBbkfldnycyD0_C"><em>watch the recent Node Operator Town&nbsp;Hall</em></a><em>.</em></p>
<h3>Immediate changes: Naive rewarding</h3>
<p>The <strong>Magura release</strong> will be happening <strong>in the next 24 hours</strong>. This is a major network release that will update Nym token economics and likely have effects on operator and staker&nbsp;rewards.</p>
<h4>Effects for&nbsp;stakers</h4>
<p>To maintain a high level of staking rewards and contribute to a performative network, we encourage all stakers&nbsp;to:</p>
<ol>
<li>
<strong>Review the nodes to which you are staking</strong> at the end of the week to check if they have upgraded. We expect there to be a number of passive and outdated nodes which will be removed from the reward set, so check to make sure you are not delegating to a &ldquo;dead&rdquo;&nbsp;node!</li>
<li>
<strong>If necessary, move your stake to new nodes </strong>that have upgraded, have a high performance and config score, and can serve the functions of both mix nodes and gateways.</li>
<li>
<strong>We encourage stakers to support nodes in the Delegations program</strong> in particular as these have gone through a rigorous vetting process. Find the full list&nbsp;<a href="https://explorer.nymtech.net/account/n1rnxpdpx3kldygsklfft0gech7fhfcux4zst5lw">here</a>.</li>
<li>If in doubt, <strong>ask in </strong><a href="https://t.me/+ij-6sxGT6XM2ZTU6"><strong>community channels</strong></a> to understand if a node&nbsp;*:</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>is running the latest&nbsp;software</li>
<li>has a good config&nbsp;score</li>
<li>has a good performance score</li>
<li>agreed to operator Terms &amp; Conditions</li>
</ul>
<p>* <em>All nodes participating in the Nym Delegations Program meet these criteria, and all nodes delegated to by the Nym Treasury wallet are Delegations Program participants.</em></p>
<h4>Effects for operators</h4>
<p>Many of our more active operators will be well prepared for the upcoming changes already after having attended the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/3G1pJqvO2VM?si=9QBbkfldnycyD0_C">Operator Town Hall</a> a couple of weeks&nbsp;ago.</p>
<p>Here is a summary of the main changes that will happen as part of the Magura&nbsp;release:</p>
<ol>
<li>The 2% emissions from the mixmining pool will now be <strong>distributed across 5 layers of active nodes rather than 3</strong>. This is to ensure that gateways are rewarded algorithmically rather than only via grants. The aim is to encourage more nodes to run in gateway mode and enable more gateway options for end-users.</li>
<li>
<strong>Action: Completion of project smoosh requires that operators upgrade to run the Nym node binary</strong>. This means operators will be running a single binary for either gateway or mix node mode. Gateways will have to get stake for the first time in order to be selected to the active&nbsp;set.</li>
<li>
<strong>A configuration score is now included in the node selection algorithm</strong> to determine if a node is included in the active set: <em>Selection = </em><strong><em>config score</em></strong><em> * total stake * performance ^ 20. </em>This is to cull any outdated nodes from the set and make sure the network is running up to date software.</li>
<li>
<strong>All node operators will have to do smart contract migration from legacy modes to Nym Node</strong> to receive any rewards (to be done via Nym&nbsp;wallet).</li>
<li>
<strong>Action: Operators have to agree to operator Terms &amp; Conditions</strong> to confirm legally that they do not gather logs on&nbsp;users.</li>
</ol>
<p>The effect of these changes are expected to be a more performant network and better spread of gateway options for users of the Nym network. And it is the next step towards the fully fledged virtuous cycle of Nym tokenomics!</p>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*LLJhqCHTGjAai6063uXT9A.png"></figure><h3>Nym&rsquo;s vision: Fair usage, fair&nbsp;rewards</h3>
<p>The end goal of Nym token economics is to have a <strong>virtuous cycle flywheel</strong> in which increasing adoption leads to a scaling of the network and rewards. Currently, stakers and node operators are rewarded from the mixmining pool, which is bootstrapping rewards while the network is free to use. With the network entering a paid version, rewards can soon become tied to real world&nbsp;usage.</p>
<p><strong>Fair usage and fair rewards</strong> simply means that users will be paying for network services and that payments will enter the node reward pool with a percentage going towards topping up operator and staker rewards. But there is a lot more happening under the hood to make sure&nbsp;that:</p>
<ol>
<li>nodes are rewarded based on actual usage of their&nbsp;services</li>
<li>measurement of actual usage does not deanonymize a&nbsp;user!</li>
</ol>
<p>The Nym R&amp;D and dev teams have been very busy this past year to flesh out this scheme, combining zero-knowledge cryptography, evolving the coconut credential scheme into &ldquo;e-cash&rdquo; and now finally the zk-nym credential scheme. Zk-nyms ensure that a user&rsquo;s payment is entirely de-linked from their network usage. For a full breakdown of the virtuous cycle enabled by zk-nyms, read more&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/the-nym-token-flow-powering-the-worlds-most-private-network-48c15db379c5%5D">here</a>.</p>
<p>For stakers and operators, the end goal is to have a rapidly scalable network, with no limits on the number of gateways. Rewards will be based on tickets gathered by gateways andrepresenting real usage. Nodes will be multi-functional. They will continuously have the chance to earn dVPN rewards as both entry and exit gateways. And they will compete with each other every epoch for the chance to earn additional rewards by getting into the active set of the Nym&rsquo;s <strong>noise generating mixnet</strong> as either gateways or mixnodes.</p>
<h3>Preview of fair usage, fair rewarding</h3>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*yqr3gWbnUKhxOXq8BF6tDw.png"></figure><h3>Timeline overview</h3>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*mqfF_KTMbEiwF4KZ"></figure><p>Here&rsquo;s a breakdown of what to expect from the <strong>Nym node roadmap</strong> each month into&nbsp;2025.</p>
<h4>Mid-November</h4>
<ul>
<li>
<strong>Release (Magura):</strong> The release will include gateways in the reward algorithm, with mixmining emissions divided across not just mixnodes, but also gateways. We expect this release to result in a slight decrease in mix node rewards due to more layers being rewarded, but with more chances for active set selection as old nodes will be&nbsp;removed.</li>
<li>
<strong>Staker action: </strong>Review delegations and restake if necessary.</li>
<li>
<strong>Operator action:</strong> Operators will at this point have to run up-to-date software, aka &ldquo;smooshed&rdquo; Nym nodes. They will also have to agree to operator T&amp;Cs in order to be selected for the active set. Configuration scores will become part of the selection algorithm: <em>config score * total stake * performance ^20</em>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Team action:</strong> Onboard service grantees to the Delegations Program.</li>
</ul>
<h4>End of&nbsp;November</h4>
<ul>
<li>
<strong>Release (Crunch):</strong> The release will include an IPv6 listener for gateways and allow operators to run a node in all modes (entry, exit gateway, and mix node, with all exit gateway-enabled nodes also serving as dVPN&nbsp;nodes).</li>
<li>
<strong>Operator action:</strong> Enable your Nym node to run in all&nbsp;modes.</li>
<li>
<strong>Team action:</strong> A new service grants program will the expand number and coverage of gateways.</li>
</ul>
<h4>December</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>NymVPN early bird&nbsp;launch</strong></li>
<li><strong>New network explorer&nbsp;release</strong></li>
<li>
<strong>Staker action:</strong> Use the explorer to explore nodes and fine-tune your staking for maximum network performance and staker&nbsp;rewards.</li>
</ul>
<h4>2025</h4>
<ul><li>
<strong>Release:</strong> <strong>Fair network usage, fair rewarding</strong>. This is the fully-fledged paid version of the network. Rewards will be based on tickets gathered from usage, with rewards matching real world network usage. The mixmining pool will continue to bootstrap rewards as usage&nbsp;grows.</li></ul>
<p>So if you&rsquo;re a node operator: upgrade, review, restake, and get ready for the future of&nbsp;Nym.</p>
<p>And if you&rsquo;re curious about Nym, sign up for NymVPN today for <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en">a 30-day free&nbsp;trial</a>!</p>
<h3>Join the Nym Community</h3>
<p><a href="https://discord.com/invite/nym"><strong><em>Discord</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://t.me/nymtech"> <strong><em>Telegram</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://matrix.to/#/%23general:nymtech.chat"> <strong><em>Element</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://twitter.com/nymproject">&nbsp;<strong><em>Twitter</em></strong></a></p>
<h3>Privacy loves&nbsp;company</h3>
<p><a href="https://t.me/nymchan">English</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymchina"> &#20013;&#25991;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_Russian"> &#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1081;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_turkey"> T&uuml;rk&ccedil;e</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymtechvn"> Ti&#7871;ng Vi&#7879;t</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymjapanese"> &#26085;&#26412;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymfrench"> Fran&ccedil;aise</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYMSPANISH"> Espa&ntilde;ol</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymportuguese"> Portugu&ecirc;s</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymkorea">&nbsp;&#54620;&#44397;&#51064;</a></p>
<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&amp;referrerSource=full_rss&amp;postId=fc5eb3fd2941" width="1" height="1" alt=""><hr>
<p><a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nym-virtuous-token-cycle-next-step-magura-fc5eb3fd2941">Nym&rsquo;s virtuous token cycle: Next step, Magura</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/">nymtech</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


Nym&rsquo;s virtuous token cycle: Next step, Magura


<h4><em>Showcasing how Nym is more than a VPN to the&nbsp;world</em></h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*7S1McAx45lmV3Ogc"></figure><p>It meant many overnight flights for the Nym core team, but we managed to do it all in one week: from <strong>DevCon in Bangkok</strong> to <strong>Web Summit in Lisbon</strong>, Nym showcased the upcoming launch of NymVPN and its underlying community and&nbsp;network.</p>
<p>The crowds couldn&rsquo;t be more different, but the appeal was the same: the <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en/blog/more-than-a-vpn">world needs something more than what traditional VPNs</a> are offering. We need more access to information, more control of our data, more privacy in what we do and who we communicate with&nbsp;online.</p>
<p>So here&rsquo;s a roundup of what the Nym team has been doing to make all of that possible.</p>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*gQF8mMNtxm_g1uMi"></figure><h3>DevCon 2024 (Bangkok)</h3>
<p>The Nym team was in full force at DevCon for what turned out to be a pretty incredible event. Here&rsquo;s a look at what happened over four days of presentations and discussions.</p>
<h4>Sunday: Digital sovereignty</h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*9hRhTsAWokJQqLuw"></figure><p>Nym&rsquo;s Simon Toth chaired a panel on <strong>&ldquo;Decentralized data in a surveillance economy: A path to data sovereignty&rdquo;</strong> at the Decentralized Data Summit&nbsp;2024.</p>
<h4>Monday: Women In&nbsp;Tech</h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*Wpp2EeyAVVhf_Xl2"></figure><p>Yana Matrosova presented NymVPN on <strong>&ldquo;Sovereign tools by Women in Web3Privacy&rdquo; </strong>at Logos &ldquo;Parallel Society&rdquo; and moderated a panel on <strong>&ldquo;Privacy with backdoors or without?&rdquo; </strong>at Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress.</p>
<p>The opening talk was delivered by Harry Halpin and Chelsea Manning via&nbsp;video.</p>
<h4>Tuesday: From the cypherpunks to the noise-generating mixnets</h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*Z0HEXHhlOFBxU1y_"></figure><p>Harry Halpin delivered a Lightning Talk on &ldquo;Why VPNs are a scam and what to do about it,&rdquo; introducing Nym&rsquo;s <strong>noise-generating mixnet</strong> as a novel solution to AI surveillance and data tracking. <a href="https://app.devcon.org/schedule/TRMC3L">Check out the&nbsp;video</a>.</p>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*ri7LRj19enEcGX0C"></figure><p>Harry Halpin and Max Hampshire delivered the final talk at the Cypherpunk Congress on <strong>&ldquo;The history and philosophy of cypherpunk,&rdquo;</strong> with almost a 1000 people in attendance! It was truly an honor to speak to so many curious about the tradition at the foundation of Nym. Watch the <a href="https://app.devcon.org/schedule/8JVYCQ">full video&nbsp;here</a>!</p>
<h4>Wednesday: Collective security</h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*r6TewTzyfo84a55I"></figure><p>Yana Matrosova presented <strong>&ldquo;NymVPN and the Nym Squad League&rdquo;</strong> at Women In Web3Privacy &ldquo;Privacy Tools&rdquo;<strong> </strong>side event. Multiple topics were discussed, including decentralization, zk, privacy, and cypherpunk values. Every person needs to take care of their own privacy themselves, Yana argued, because no-one is coming to save&nbsp;us!</p>
<p>Max Hampshire gave a Lightning Talk on <strong>&ldquo;From Packets to Privacy: Understanding and evolving network security.&rdquo;</strong> You can watch the <a href="https://app.devcon.org/schedule/XYRFXT">full talk&nbsp;here</a>.</p>
<h3>Web Summit 2024&nbsp;(Lisbon)</h3>
<p>Harry and Chelsea hopped over to Portgual right away to attend Web&nbsp;Summit.</p>
<h4>Panel discussion with Harry and&nbsp;Chelsea</h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*seIJjVBvYqgbJv5k"></figure><p>Harry and Chlesea presented <strong>&ldquo;More than a VPN: Defeating AI surveillance with Noise-Generating Mixnets&rdquo;</strong> on a panel to show the architectural weaknesses of all existing VPNs and how NymVPN can do&nbsp;more.</p>
<h4>Press conference: Protecting data against surveillance</h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*bU26JJrV2yiZRMfR"></figure><p>Harry and Chelsea followed up with a press conference for journalists on what to expect for threats to privacy and protections after the US elections, especially with the rise of authoritarianisms and censorship to information worldwide.</p>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*PhIihNnO_l6ew-Xh"></figure><p>The events season is coming to a close, but right before a big opening: NymVPN will be released next month with live payments! Stay tuned through Nym&rsquo;s <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/weekly-progress-report-november-15-dev-update-7150dd1b9ff0">weekly dev updates</a> on the progress of the&nbsp;launch.</p>
<h3>Join the Nym Community</h3>
<p><a href="https://discord.com/invite/nym"><strong><em>Discord</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://t.me/nymtech"> <strong><em>Telegram</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://matrix.to/#/%23general:nymtech.chat"> <strong><em>Element</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://twitter.com/nymproject">&nbsp;<strong><em>Twitter</em></strong></a></p>
<h3>Privacy loves&nbsp;company</h3>
<p><a href="https://t.me/nymchan">English</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymchina"> &#20013;&#25991;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_Russian"> &#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1081;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_turkey"> T&uuml;rk&ccedil;e</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymtechvn"> Ti&#7871;ng Vi&#7879;t</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymjapanese"> &#26085;&#26412;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymfrench"> Fran&ccedil;aise</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYMSPANISH"> Espa&ntilde;ol</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymportuguese"> Portugu&ecirc;s</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymkorea">&nbsp;&#54620;&#44397;&#51064;</a></p>
<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&amp;referrerSource=full_rss&amp;postId=fc0f5db20504" width="1" height="1" alt=""><hr>
<p><a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nym-from-east-to-west-devcon-and-web-summit-2024-fc0f5db20504">Nym from East to West: DevCon and Web Summit 2024</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/">nymtech</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


Nym from East to West: DevCon and Web Summit 2024


<h4><em>Preparing for latest release of NymVPN and breaking network changes next&nbsp;week</em></h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*snwnGXleXaEpG-r0"></figure><p>The Nym team had big successes in showcasing <strong>NymVPN</strong> to the world at <a href="https://devcon.org/en/">DevCon</a> in Bangkok and <a href="https://websummit.com/">Web Summit</a> in Lisbon this week! And behind the scenes, the dev team has been buckling down to prepare the new network and app releases coming next week. Don&rsquo;t forget, this is all in lead up to the two big&nbsp;things:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<strong>December 2024:</strong> Early bird access to the robust NymVPN app with payments!</li>
<li>
<strong>January 2025:</strong> The official launch of NymVPN to the world, at a symbolic time when it needs a real paradigm shift in online&nbsp;privacy</li>
</ul>
<p>Here&rsquo;s the full <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en/blog/nymvpn-roadmap-through-2024">timeline</a> for NymVPN finishing out 2024. Stay tuned for details next week on the launch of zk-nym credentials, the newest releases, and some breaking changes for node operators.</p>
<p>Remember, <strong>NymVPN Beta</strong> is still open and free to use, so <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en">sign up today</a> and instantly receive a <strong>free 30-day access voucher</strong>. Nym needs your testing, testing,&nbsp;testing!</p>
<h3>NymVPN</h3>
<p>The big focus has been preparing next week&rsquo;s <strong>stable release of NymVPN</strong> and making sure it is as widely available as possible to download.</p>
<h4>New NymVPN releases coming next&nbsp;week</h4>
<p>Apps releases were paused to ensure stability during DevCon and WebSummit this week. The next NymVPN app release is scheduled for <strong>Thursday, 21 November</strong> following the Magura network release on <strong>Monday, 18 November</strong>.</p>
<h4>NymVPN in Apple&nbsp;Store</h4>
<p>NymVPN is now <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nymvpn-fast-secure-vpn/id6471254143">available in Apple&nbsp;Store</a>!</p>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/304/0*qGzjsgfn6KNsLXjJ"></figure><h3>Network</h3>
<p>The team has been steadfastly preparing for the latest Magura network release. This will include some breaking changes, so node operators take&nbsp;note!</p>
<h4>Magura release coming&nbsp;Monday</h4>
<p>The next network release &ldquo;Magura&rdquo; is scheduled for <strong>Monday, 18 November</strong>. This release will contain several breaking changes, including changes to the reward scheme to include gateways in the reward algorithm.</p>
<h4>All operators must&nbsp;update!</h4>
<p>All operators will need to run the latest Nym node binaries, enabling them to function in either mix node or gateway mode. On Monday, this will be <strong>v2024.13&nbsp;Magura.</strong></p>
<p>All operators will also need to have agreed to the <a href="https://nymtech.net/terms-and-conditions/operators/v1.0.0">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> in which they agree to not gather logs. Read more on <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en/blog/nyms-zero-knowledge-network">Nym&rsquo;s zero-knowledge network</a> design that takes trust out of the equation for&nbsp;users.</p>
<p>In order for the Nym network to meet clients needs, all nodes need to be up to scratch. Nodes that do not meet these two conditions will be removed from the&nbsp;network.</p>
<h4>Changes to operator&nbsp;rewards</h4>
<p>The Nym reward pool will be divided across five layers of nodes rather than three to include gateway functions in the reward algorithm. Get the full briefing in last week&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/3G1pJqvO2VM?si=8lO2ZBgeG8OZolRd">Operator Town&nbsp;Hall</a>.</p>
<h4>New patch</h4>
<p>Operators implemented a patch that went out for the Aero release. The patch improves connection reliability between dVPN clients and gateways. It fixes timeouts on the authenticator registration so connections with gateways that have updated to this patch version should now be more&nbsp;stable.</p>
<p>Until next week comrades! Of course, join our channels for more up to date information and live discussion with the core&nbsp;team!</p>
<h3>Join the Nym Community</h3>
<p><a href="https://discord.com/invite/nym"><strong><em>Discord</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://t.me/nymtech"> <strong><em>Telegram</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://matrix.to/#/%23general:nymtech.chat"> <strong><em>Element</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://twitter.com/nymproject">&nbsp;<strong><em>Twitter</em></strong></a></p>
<h3>Privacy loves&nbsp;company</h3>
<p><a href="https://t.me/nymchan">English</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymchina"> &#20013;&#25991;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_Russian"> &#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1081;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_turkey"> T&uuml;rk&ccedil;e</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymtechvn"> Ti&#7871;ng Vi&#7879;t</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymjapanese"> &#26085;&#26412;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymfrench"> Fran&ccedil;aise</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYMSPANISH"> Espa&ntilde;ol</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymportuguese"> Portugu&ecirc;s</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymkorea">&nbsp;&#54620;&#44397;&#51064;</a></p>
<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&amp;referrerSource=full_rss&amp;postId=7150dd1b9ff0" width="1" height="1" alt=""><hr>
<p><a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/weekly-progress-report-november-15-dev-update-7150dd1b9ff0">Weekly progress report: November 15 dev update</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/">nymtech</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


Weekly progress report: November 15 dev update


<h4><em>See the latest progress for yourself with Nym at DevCon and Web&nbsp;Summit</em></h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*FKD2ycTRED4kl1yO"></figure><p>The Nym core team is heading to two big events next week to showcase <strong>NymVPN</strong> to the&nbsp;world:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://devcon.org/en/">DevCon</a> in Bangkok from November&nbsp;12&ndash;15</li>
<li>
<a href="https://websummit.com/">Web Summit</a> in Lisbon from November&nbsp;11&ndash;14</li>
</ul>
<p>So the dev team has been focussing this week on getting the latest release in shape and available on Google Play and Apple Store so that as many people can access it as possible next&nbsp;week.</p>
<p>And don&rsquo;t forget the biggest milestone the team is moving toward on its <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en/blog/nymvpn-roadmap-through-2024">timeline</a> for NymVPN finishing out&nbsp;2024:</p>
<ul><li>
<strong>December, 2024:</strong> The early bird launch of NymVPN with payments.</li></ul>
<p>So stay tuned for details next week on the launch of zk-nym credentials, what will be included in the latest release, and early subscription discounts for dedicated users!</p>
<p>In the meantime, <strong>NymVPN Beta</strong> is still open and free to use, so <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en">sign up today</a> and instantly receive a <strong>free 30-day access&nbsp;voucher</strong>.</p>
<h3>Checkout Nym at DevCon and Web&nbsp;Summit</h3>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*xFVCt5P8PsifKY2M"></figure><p>At <strong>Web Summit in Lisbon</strong>, Harry Halpin and Chelsea Manning will be presenting &ldquo;More than a VPN: Defeating AI surveillance with Noise-Generating Mixnets&rdquo; on <strong>Wednesday, 13 November at 2:15 PM CET</strong>. This will be followed by a press conference on how journalists can protect themselves and their sources with mixnet technology.</p>
<h3>NymVPN</h3>
<p>The big focus this week has been preparing November&rsquo;s <strong>stable release of NymVPN</strong> and making sure it is as widely available as possible to download..</p>
<h4>NymVPN in app&nbsp;stores</h4>
<p>NymVPN is now <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.nymtech.nymvpn">available in Google&nbsp;Play</a>:</p>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/352/0*qUI-KoWRZmb55HJ2"></figure><p>It is currently being approved for the <strong>Apple Store</strong>, so stay&nbsp;tuned!</p>
<h3>Network</h3>
<p>The main focus this week has been to ensure a top performing decentralized network that services the NymVPN client and any future&nbsp;usage.</p>
<h4>New docs and operators page</h4>
<p>Nym has released a <a href="https://nymtech.net/docs">new page for docs and operator guidelines</a> for developers to build new applications, or upgrade existing apps, with privacy features unavailable in other&nbsp;systems.</p>
<h4>Expanding service grants&nbsp;programs</h4>
<p>New <a href="https://nymtech.net/operators">nodes operators</a> have been added to the Nym service grants&nbsp;program.</p>
<p>Until next week, stay tuned and join our channels for more up to date information and live discussion with the core&nbsp;team!</p>
<h3>Join the Nym Community</h3>
<p><a href="https://discord.com/invite/nym"><strong><em>Discord</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://t.me/nymtech"> <strong><em>Telegram</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://matrix.to/#/%23general:nymtech.chat"> <strong><em>Element</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://twitter.com/nymproject">&nbsp;<strong><em>Twitter</em></strong></a></p>
<h3>Privacy loves&nbsp;company</h3>
<p><a href="https://t.me/nymchan">English</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymchina"> &#20013;&#25991;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_Russian"> &#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1081;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_turkey"> T&uuml;rk&ccedil;e</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymtechvn"> Ti&#7871;ng Vi&#7879;t</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymjapanese"> &#26085;&#26412;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymfrench"> Fran&ccedil;aise</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYMSPANISH"> Espa&ntilde;ol</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymportuguese"> Portugu&ecirc;s</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymkorea">&nbsp;&#54620;&#44397;&#51064;</a></p>
<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&amp;referrerSource=full_rss&amp;postId=1c99e62b0070" width="1" height="1" alt=""><hr>
<p><a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/sprint-to-launch-november-10-dev-update-1c99e62b0070">Sprint to launch: November 10 dev update</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/">nymtech</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


Sprint to launch: November 10 dev update


<h4><em>Bootstrapping the Nym treasury ahead of NymVPN&nbsp;launch</em></h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*j0zzrO6rQR6FM0oxjK92Gg.jpeg"></figure><p>In the lead up to the launch of NymVPN on <strong>12 December 2024</strong>, Nym will be conducting a <strong>token buyback of $1 million USD</strong> in NYM from the market. The goal is simple: boost the Nym treasury while the price of NYM is advantageous and use it to improve the Nym network ahead of launch. With payments for NymVPN live in December, there will then be a perpetual NYM buyback organically linked to the demand for and usage of the&nbsp;app.</p>
<h3>What is a token buyback, and why do&nbsp;it?</h3>
<p>A <strong>token buyback</strong> occurs when a seller buys back their own tokens as a means to restrict overall supply and boost their treasury. There is currently an oversupply of NYM tokens on the market with the price therefore not reflecting real demand and&nbsp;usage.</p>
<blockquote>&ldquo;As we announced on 5 November five years ago in our initial litepaper,&rdquo; Harry Halpin, CEO of Nym Technologies notes, &ldquo;the entire point of the NYM token launch was to build the supply side of the decentralized network of servers that the NymVPN is built on. Of course, without NymVPN taking payments and converting them to NYM tokens as demanded, there are simply too many NYM tokens out&nbsp;there.&rdquo;</blockquote>
<p>In light of the upcoming NymVPN and taking advantage of a bearish crypto market, Nym will be conducting a token buyback during the month leading up to launch. Doing so will replenish Nym&rsquo;s warchest to supercharge the app, network, and operators.</p>
<blockquote>&ldquo;A 1 million dollar buyback,&rdquo; Halpin clarifies, &ldquo;should remove much of the existing NYM from the market. I am excited to see NymVPN turn on a buyback from payments in a month, so this 1 million buyback is just the beginning.&rdquo;</blockquote>
<p>The up to <strong>20 million NYM</strong> that Nym will buyback over the next month will be directed toward core&nbsp;goals:</p>
<ul>
<li>marketing to boost consumer awareness of&nbsp;NymVPN</li>
<li>reward network operators in order to improve the Nym network on which the app&nbsp;runs</li>
<li>offer NymVPN services to people like journalists and activists who urgently need advanced privacy protections.</li>
</ul>
<h3>More than VPN, more than a&nbsp;token</h3>
<p>NymVPN is much <strong>more than a VPN</strong>: it is a decentralized and token-incentived community of operators that can provide privacy protections, such as safeguarding metadata records, that no other network can. Traditional VPNs are powerless in the face of artificial intelligence (AI), and no other privacy service runs on a <strong>Noise-Generating Mixnet (NGM)</strong>. By adding &ldquo;noise&rdquo; to the network, NymVPN can provide everyday web users with a tool sophisticated enough to defend themselves against AI-powered surveillance and metadata harvesting.</p>
<p>The NYM token also is much <strong>more than a token</strong>: it is what <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/the-value-of-nym-the-spice-powering-the-worlds-most-private-network-10b0055dfe70">incentivizes the whole decentralized network</a>. Network operators are rewarded in NYM for their services in anonymizing user traffic, and each user payment for NymVPN is converted into NYM tokens to delink a user&rsquo;s payment from their usage of the app. Each new subscription will <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/the-nym-token-flow-powering-the-worlds-most-private-network-48c15db379c5">trigger more NYM buy orders</a> as well as fully anonymized VPN&nbsp;use.</p>
<h3>What to expect&nbsp;next</h3>
<p>The buyback over the next month will be a crucial test for the beginning of a perpetual buyback mechanism to start with NymVPN payments, all of which will be converted to NYM tokens through buy orders. By restricting token supply, the price of NYM can then be linked more closely to usage and&nbsp;demand.</p>
<p>Here&rsquo;s what to expect in the next&nbsp;month:</p>
<ul>
<li>Harry Halpin will be demoing the <strong>latest stable version of NymVPN</strong> at WebSummit (Lisbon)<strong> </strong>and DevCon (Thailand) next&nbsp;week</li>
<li>Anyone can <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en">now sign up</a> for a <strong>free 1-month pass</strong> to use NymVPN&nbsp;Beta</li>
<li>Payments will be live on <strong>12 December 2024</strong>, commencing the process of NYM buy orders from user subscriptions</li>
</ul>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*N-JEZHhFj8VRMoiK"></figure><p>As NymVPN enters the market and the network is actually used by ordinary people, more servers in different countries will likely be needed with much higher capacity to match demand. These servers will be fueled by NYM tokens provided by the expanded treasury. In addition, as all users will be allowed to use the network for a month for free due to the US elections, the buyback mechanism will allow the fine-tuning of the future payment-driven buyback process while NymVPN is still&nbsp;free.</p>
<p>Don&rsquo;t miss your chance to <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en">get your free 30 day voucher today</a>! And stay private&nbsp;friends.</p>
<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&amp;referrerSource=full_rss&amp;postId=33e3ec88c4dc" width="1" height="1" alt=""><hr>
<p><a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/nym-token-buyback-33e3ec88c4dc">NYM token buyback</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/">nymtech</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


NYM token buyback


<h4><em>Statement from Harry Halpin, CEO, to you, the&nbsp;world</em></h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*Z9vTk8nK40mz9lwj"></figure><p>There&rsquo;s been a lot of discussion and worry worldwide over the coming results of the U.S. election. But no matter if Trump or Harris wins, one thing is certain: surveillance and oppression at the hands of increasingly authoritarian governments will continue to&nbsp;rise.</p>
<p>Nym exists to support freedom fighters in the United States and across the world, so Nym is offering a <strong>30 day free pass </strong>over the next month to anyone who wants to protect their privacy online. Whatever your political situation is, protecting your privacy and data online matters, and few tools these days can do something to help. Nym offers more: a decentralized network built for the age of AI-powered surveillance.</p>
<h3>Getting NymVPN</h3>
<p>To take advantage of the 30 day free trial, all you need to do is download NymVPN directly from <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en">Nym&rsquo;s site</a> with a free and immediate access credential.</p>
<p>But Nym recognizes that getting genuine privacy into people&rsquo;s hands requires using all available routes, so Nym will also be launching a <strong>full version of NymVPN in Apple Store, Google Play, and F-Froid </strong>this month. While Big Tech companies like Apple and Google are problematic as some of the major data harvesters, we consider this necessary to defend activists, independent journalists, and ordinary citizens by offering a fully decentralized VPN with an <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en/blog/why-use-the-anonymous-mode">Anonymous Mode</a> that can defend against state-level surveillance, even from the US government.</p>
<p>NymVPN is the only kind of VPN that can defend against the American government&rsquo;s National Security Agency which can capture and analyze every internet connection using AI to detect exactly what website someone is visiting. Nym counteracts this by adding so much noise to the network that your signals and pattern can&rsquo;t be discerned: not by governments, data brokers, or passive adversaries.</p>
<h3>NymVPN stable&nbsp;release</h3>
<p>As the CEO of Nym Technologies, I will be presenting a <strong>full and stable version of NymVPN on November 12th</strong> at <strong>DevCon in Bangkok</strong>, at the &ldquo;Centralized VPNs are Scams and What to do About it&rdquo; talk, and then on <strong>November 13th at Web Summit in Lisbon with Chelsea Manning</strong>, which will also include a press conference to train journalists in how to defend themselves online.</p>
<p>This stable version will also introduce the <strong>zk-nym anonymous credential system</strong> in the lead up to the <strong>launch of payments in December</strong>. Note that while NymVPN is stable, there may still be errors and bugs to be fixed in the next month as the decentralized Nym network has never handled large amounts of traffic. All of your help using the app will go a long way to improving it in the coming&nbsp;months.</p>
<h3>NYM and&nbsp;NymVPN</h3>
<p>In order to have more rewards for high-performing network nodes and optimize the algorithms that convert fiat to NYM, more NYM tokens have to be purchased before payments are turned on in December. The details of this <strong>NYM token buyback</strong> will be announced tomorrow, <strong>5 November 2024</strong>. A smart contract upgrade will also be done to reward gateways this&nbsp;month.</p>
<p>Remember, the value of NYM is concretely <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/the-value-of-nym-the-spice-powering-the-worlds-most-private-network-10b0055dfe70">linked to the use and success of NymVPN</a>. The more users subscribe to use the app in their currency of choice, the <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/the-nym-token-flow-powering-the-worlds-most-private-network-48c15db379c5">more NYM buy orders will be triggered</a>.</p>
<p>The NymVPN will then have payments turned on in <strong>December </strong>before Christmas. NymVPN will accept fiat (including credit cards), Bitcoin, Monero, and&#8202;&mdash;&#8202;of course!&#8202;&mdash;&#8202;NYM tokens. All payments will then be converted to NYM token buy orders on the open market. All payments will then result in a zero-knowledge proof, a zk-nym, that will unlink the payment of NymVPN from their use. Payments for a month to make sure the payment system can handle high-capacity.</p>
<p>In the meantime, keep your heads high, and your data protected. Remember, remember the 5th of November!</p>
<p>&ndash; <em>Harry Halpin, CEO of Nym Technologies</em></p>
<h3>Join the Nym Community</h3>
<p><a href="https://discord.com/invite/nym"><strong><em>Discord</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://t.me/nymtech"> <strong><em>Telegram</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://matrix.to/#/%23general:nymtech.chat"> <strong><em>Element</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://twitter.com/nymproject">&nbsp;<strong><em>Twitter</em></strong></a></p>
<h3>Privacy loves&nbsp;company</h3>
<p><a href="https://t.me/nymchan">English</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymchina"> &#20013;&#25991;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_Russian"> &#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1081;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_turkey"> T&uuml;rk&ccedil;e</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymtechvn"> Ti&#7871;ng Vi&#7879;t</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymjapanese"> &#26085;&#26412;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymfrench"> Fran&ccedil;aise</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYMSPANISH"> Espa&ntilde;ol</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymportuguese"> Portugu&ecirc;s</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymkorea">&nbsp;&#54620;&#44397;&#51064;</a></p>
<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&amp;referrerSource=full_rss&amp;postId=9189e4a47d3d" width="1" height="1" alt=""><hr>
<p><a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/no-matter-who-wins-nymvpn-is-free-for-the-next-month-to-fight-for-freedom-9189e4a47d3d">No matter who wins: NymVPN is free for the next month to fight for freedom</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/">nymtech</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


No matter who wins: NymVPN is free for the next month to fight for freedom


<h4><em>Weekly progress on the NymVPN and Nym&nbsp;network</em></h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*UOL4HU9B0OdGZEIq"></figure><p>The Nym dev team here for our weekly roundup of achievements, progress, and things still simmering: bug and leak fixes, app and network improvements, and readying the zk-nym infrastructure for payments.</p>
<p>But don&rsquo;t miss the forest for the trees: here are the big milestones the team is moving toward on its <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en/blog/nymvpn-roadmap-through-2024">timeline</a> for NymVPN finishing out&nbsp;2024:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<strong>November, 2024:</strong> The newest release of NymVPN Beta with the launch of zk-nyms anonymous credentials</li>
<li>
<strong>December, 2024:</strong> Early bird launch of NymVPN with&nbsp;payments</li>
</ul>
<p>In the meantime, <strong>NymVPN Beta</strong> is still open and free to use, so <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en">sign up today</a> for an instant credential if you haven&rsquo;t tried it&nbsp;yet!</p>
<h3>NymVPN</h3>
<p>The big focus this week has been preparing November&rsquo;s <strong>stable release of NymVPN</strong> so it is as secure and seamless as possible when it arrives in community members&rsquo;&nbsp;hands.</p>
<h4>Easy access to test credentials</h4>
<p>The lengthy steps to get new credentials have been removed. Now you can simply <a href="https://nymvpn.com/en">enter your email address</a> and instantly receive a <strong>free 30-day access&nbsp;voucher</strong>.</p>
<h4>Connectivity improvements</h4>
<p>The devs have made app connectivity improvements for a smoother and more reliable connection experience. This has been done via multiple bug fixes and the implementation of a more robust state&nbsp;machine.</p>
<h4>Linux app on&nbsp;Flathub</h4>
<p>For Linux users, the NymVPN app is <a href="https://flathub.org/apps/net.nymtech.NymVPN">available in Flathub</a> with more platforms to&nbsp;follow.</p>
<h4>macOS 15 Sequoia compatibility</h4>
<p>NymVPN is now fully compatible with the latest <strong>macOS version,&nbsp;v15</strong>.</p>
<h4>New exit locations</h4>
<p>NymVPN now offers to exit in the following locations:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<strong>Anonymous Mode:</strong> Australia, China&nbsp;mainland</li>
<li>
<strong>Fast Mode:</strong> Bahrain, China mainland, Switzerland, Vietnam</li>
</ul>
<h3>Network</h3>
<p>The main focus this week has been to ensure a top performing decentralized network that services the NymVPN client and any future&nbsp;usage.</p>
<h4>Performance: Network Monitor&nbsp;v2</h4>
<p>The <strong>Network Monitor</strong> is a method for measuring the reliability of nodes by testing multiple paths through the network. So far, the network monitor has been measuring 5-hop mixnet performance. This week, core devs have begun the work of adding 2-hop WireGuard performance scores.</p>
<h4>Performance: Node status&nbsp;API</h4>
<p>Work is continuing on the <strong>node status API</strong>. This is an API to ensure that the NymVPN client is continually up to date on which gateways are live, connected, and performative so that users can connect without experiencing connectivity issues.</p>
<h4>Rewards: Validator rewards for issuing&nbsp;zk-nyms</h4>
<p><strong>Nyx validators</strong> are rewarded for running the blockchain that hosts the Nym mixnet smart contract. But their role is about to expand <strong>to also issue zk-nyms</strong>: the anonymous credentials that enable privacy preserving payments for NymVPN users. The Nym core dev team has started work this week to enable validator rewards for issuing zk-nym ticketbooks.</p>
<p>Read Nym&rsquo;s recent deepdive into <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/the-nym-token-flow-powering-the-worlds-most-private-network-48c15db379c5">the NYM token flow</a>, and stay tuned for a follow up explaining <strong>how zk-nyms&nbsp;work</strong>!</p>
<h4>Improving public data: Nym data observatory</h4>
<p>Work on the Nym data observatory has begun, which will improve the stability and availability of public data about Nym networks and token economics.</p>
<h4>Tor access</h4>
<p>Thanks to an update to the Nym exit policy, Tor can now be accessed via NymVPN on ports 9001 and&nbsp;9030.</p>
<p>Stay tuned and join our channels for more up to date information and live discussion with the core&nbsp;team!</p>
<h3>Join the Nym Community</h3>
<p><a href="https://discord.com/invite/nym"><strong><em>Discord</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://t.me/nymtech"> <strong><em>Telegram</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://matrix.to/#/%23general:nymtech.chat"> <strong><em>Element</em></strong></a> <strong><em>//</em></strong><a href="https://twitter.com/nymproject">&nbsp;<strong><em>Twitter</em></strong></a></p>
<h3>Privacy loves&nbsp;company</h3>
<p><a href="https://t.me/nymchan">English</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymchina"> &#20013;&#25991;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_Russian"> &#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1081;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_turkey"> T&uuml;rk&ccedil;e</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymtechvn"> Ti&#7871;ng Vi&#7879;t</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymjapanese"> &#26085;&#26412;</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymfrench"> Fran&ccedil;aise</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYMSPANISH"> Espa&ntilde;ol</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymportuguese"> Portugu&ecirc;s</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymkorea">&nbsp;&#54620;&#44397;&#51064;</a></p>
<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&amp;referrerSource=full_rss&amp;postId=d046672d3256" width="1" height="1" alt=""><hr>
<p><a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/sprint-to-launch-november-1-dev-update-d046672d3256">Sprint to launch: November 1 dev update</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/">nymtech</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


Sprint to launch: November 1 dev update

Nym sponsors hackathon at Suliman S. Olayan School of Business

Lebanon&rsquo;s university students turn to crypto as hyperinflation roils the country

The US whistleblower is working on a privacy project with funding from a digital token.

Chelsea Manning dances with the crypto devil

Nym Eco-system Fund Opens Funding Requests as World-Class Cryptographers Join Advisory Board

Nym Opens Funding Requests as World-Class Cryptographers Join

Nym Taps Renowned Attorney Ahmed Ghappour as General Counsel

Harry Halpin hat einen Plan f&uuml;r das Internet

Andreessen Horowitz Leads Investment In Privacy Startup Integrating With Bitcoin

Nym raises $13M in funding round led by A16Z Crypto

Nym gets 6M for its anonymous overlay mixnet to sell privacy as a service

Nym raises 6M

Nym testnet grows larger than Tor, next step is to decentralize a critical centralized chokepoint of Tor

Nym testnet grows larger than Tor network

 Coronavirus pandemic and the rise in call for privacy technology.

Crypto Privacy Is a Financial Tonic to Government Intervention

Nym Technologies, invites the general public to take part in the next phase of its mixnet platform&rsquo;s user testing.

Nym Blockchain Privacy Mixnet Opens for User Testing

Harry Halpin speaks to CoinDesk's Leigh Cuen in Davos, about the World Economic Forum, privacy and the future of blockchain.

Cypherpunk Harry Halpin takes on Davos

Libra wants to be far more than simply your internet money&hellip;

Facebook's Libra has big plans for you

A privacy-centric startup has turned to a private token sale to raise $2.5 million

Nym Technologies Raises $2.5 Million&hellip;

Both Nym Technologies and Chainspace are the products of the genius of George Danezis

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Actual Privacy

NymVPN now open for public testing

What is Nym?

Latest in Nym

Join

Privacy loves company

Stake

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Build

Build apps that provide users with strong privacy as the default

Operate

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Download Nym wallet

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