The write-up
ilchon (일촌)
> “Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world.” — Eric Hughes
P2P bitcoin trading only with people you‘ve met. Your offer is seen only by contacts on the other side.
Why
- In Korea, trading bitcoin with strangers gets bank accounts frozen, so people are pushed into KYC exchanges.
- Trading with friends is safer, but a “selling” post in a group chat tells everyone.
- Privacy isn’t hiding; it‘s choosing who sees you. Ilchon (일촌) = the friends you chose to let in.
What it does
- Meet → scan: contacts only via mutual one-time QR, in person.
- Private matching: apps compare only buy/sell + currency. Non-matches learn nothing.
- Trade directly: bank transfer + your own Lightning wallet. No escrow, by design.
Why Marmot
- No phone number, no company server, so nothing to seize or shut down.
- vs Nostr DMs: DMs tag recipients (posting an offer would light up your contact list) and lock everything with one key. Marmot uses throwaway signers and rotating keys. On a real relay: 8 events, 8 signers, 0 member keys.
- How we use it: one room per friendship · invites only after a QR scan · the matching runs app-to-app inside the room · the private room ID is mixed into the matching · quiet goodbye.
Next: Marmot’s group features
- Add: an introducer for second-degree contacts; your own devices; an always-on home node.
- Key updates: after every trade, so a stolen device‘s keys stop working.
- Remove: lost devices (contacts are never visibly removed, on purpose).
Live: https://ilchon.org · Code: https://github.com/dongguri-jun/ilchon