DFINITY founder Dominic Williams (@dominic_w) posted on X that the key components underlying NEAR’s Chain Abstraction and Intents utilize the threshold ECDSA algorithm from a 2022 DFINITY paper. He stated that this technology is licensed exclusively for use with the Internet Computer and accused NEAR of recruiting former DFINITY employees who were terminated in 2021 to lead the related work. He also claimed that the algorithm can increase signing speed up to three times faster than other solutions.
Williams also questioned NEAR’s level of decentralization, noting that its corresponding system runs on only eight servers, whereas Internet Computer’s equivalent solution operates on a subnet composed of approximately 50 independent node providers. He cited NEAR’s MPC codebase pull request (#4503) and issue (#4324) on GitHub, stating that NEAR is attempting to downgrade from a one-round signing scheme to a slower three-round scheme.
Williams stated that the matter involves legal issues and noted that DFINITY would be willing to share the technology under fair terms if NEAR had sought collaboration in advance and acknowledged the technical source. Currently, the content in the article consists solely of one-sided allegations; NEAR has not yet responded, and the claims have not been
DFINITY Founder Accuses NEAR of Using Proprietary Threshold Signature Technology
TechFlowShare
Summary
DFINITY founder Dominic Williams accuses NEAR of using his team’s 2022 threshold ECDSA algorithm without proper licensing. He claims the technology, linked to CFT protocols, was intended solely for the Internet Computer. Williams also notes that NEAR hired former DFINITY staff and operates on only eight servers, raising questions about decentralization and exposure to risk-on assets. NEAR has not responded.
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