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Twitter will soon let you tip other users with bitcoin

No surprise here: CEO Jack Dorsey is a known bitcoin evangelist.

NurPhoto via Getty Images

Ever see a real good tweet that makes you stop and think "that amused or informed me to the extent I want to give that person a monetary tip"? Twitter's Tip Jar has let users do just that for the last few months. Until now, Twitter users have only been able to send regular money to each other through the feature, but it seems they'll soon be able to tip others with bitcoin.

Researcher and app developer Alessandro Paluzzi shared a screenshot that suggested Twitter is working on such an option, as noted by 9to5Mac. According to the image, Twitter is planning to use Strike to generate bitcoin Lightning invoices. It'll harness the Lightning Network with the aim of enabling faster payments with lower fees than the primary bitcoin network.

Twitter product lead Kayvon Beykpour quote tweeted Paluzzi's screenshot and added two emoji: a lightning symbol and another reading "soon." That's a pretty clear indicator bitcoin tipping is in the works. Beykpour also noted that Twitter is working to bring Tip Jar to more countries.

It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that Twitter's planning to let folks tip each other with cryptocurrency. CEO Jack Dorsey is a major proponent of bitcoin. He expressed hope in July that the digital currency could bring about world peace, while his other company, Square, may be working on a bitcoin hardware wallet.