Decentralized privacy startup HOPR has released its first “customized HOPR Hardware Node,” which the startup says removes any reliance on cloud servers predominantly controlled by Amazon and Alibaba.
- HOPR uses a token-incentivized mixnet solution, essentially doing the same for blockchain as Tor (the onion router) or a virtual private network (VPN) do on the internet. The mixnet node combines running an Ethereum node with next-level data privacy.
- It’s the first hardware product released by a data privacy company in the blockchain space, the company said in a statement. (Other types of crypto firms have pursued similar hardware offerings, including Filecoin and Helium.)
- HOPR is not the first company to use blockchain tokens to incentivize participants to enhance the privacy of a network, however. Competition in this area is currently ramping up with the likes of Orchid protocol, also based on Ethereum, seeing its token recently surge in value.
- HOPR’s plug-and-play, blockchain-ready node is being sold at $440 with an 8GB RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. The company is only making 100 HOPR Hardware Nodes available for the initial release.
- Last month HOPR announced a $1 million funding round led by Binance Labs.
Read more: Binance Labs Leads $1M Seed Round in Crypto Tor Alternative HOPR