Rewards system allows decentralized messaging app users to earn crypto

The messaging app project was aimed at avoiding third-party data harvesting.

Make Sense Labs, a decentralized application firm backed by venture capitalist Tim Draper, now allows users of its social messaging app to earn rewards in crypto.

According to an announcement from Make Sense, the technology company launched the crypto rewards feature on Monday on its Sense Chat app first developed in 2018. The app reportedly allows users to earn the company’s native SENSE tokens by interacting with others online, subscribing to different channels, inviting new users and creating message threads.

Crystal Rose Pierce, CEO of Make Sense and wife of controversial crypto figure Brock Pierce, said the project was created to be free of third-party data-harvesting typically associated with high-profile social media and messenger companies like Facebook. She claims the app’s users will retain control of their data while maintaining privacy.

“We believe that a person's data is uniquely their own, and the value of that data should be theirs,” said Pierce. “By using Sense Chat, members are empowered to have more control over their experience, reward one another, and curate content using their SENSE tokens as a 'vote.’"

Even messaging apps created with the intention of preserving users’ privacy have experienced massive breaches. Last year, Telegram suffered a data leak that exposed some personal data of its users on the darknet. While messaging app Signal accepts donations in crypto, Sense Chat may be one of the few privacy-oriented apps to offer crypto rewards.

SENSE, based on the EOS blockchain, is currently valued at a price of $0.005918 at the time of publication with a market capitalization of more than $10 million.