UNVEIL

Inspiration

In a world plagued by censorship, misinformation, and centralized media monopolies, Unveil was born out of the need for a platform where truth can thrive. We envisioned a space where journalists and whistleblowers can publish important stories without fear—anonymously, securely, and with accountability. By using Bitcoin and decentralized technologies, Unveil creates an ecosystem where trust is earned, and honest journalism is rewarded by the community, not controlled by corporations.

What it does

Unveil is a decentralized web app that allows journalists to anonymously publish articles by staking Bitcoin. Here's how it works:

-> Authors choose a category and stake a set amount of Bitcoin to publish an article.

-> Readers vote on articles in that category during a limited-time voting round.

-> 15% of each article’s stake is pooled into a category-specific prize fund.

-> The article with the most votes at the end of the round wins:

Their original stake back
Plus the entire pooled 15% from all other submissions in that category

This mechanism ensures accountability, discourages low-quality or malicious content, and incentivizes quality journalism through fair competition.

How we built it

Unveil is built with decentralization and censorship resistance at its core. Our stack includes:

-> Frontend: Built with React.js and TailwindCSS for fast, responsive UI.

-> Staking & Bitcoin Integration: Bitcoin and Lightning Network used for handling stakes and transactions. LNbits API for wallet management and invoice generation.

-> Author Privacy: Taproot-based keys ensure authors stay anonymous but accountable.

-> Storage & Publishing: Articles are broadcast and stored using Nostr relays—ensuring decentralized and censorship-proof content distribution.

-> Backend: Node.js with Supabase for handling article metadata, category management, and voting sessions.

Challenges we ran into

Challenges we ran into:

-> Balancing Privacy & Accountability: We needed to maintain strong author anonymity while still enabling category-based voting and stake tracking. Taproot identity integration was conceptually challenging but ultimately effective.

-> Bitcoin Integration: Lightning wallet setup, secure handling of stakes, and routing transactions through LNbits took time to implement smoothly.

-> Smart Incentive Design: Crafting a staking system that is fair, resistant to manipulation, and rewarding took a lot of simulation and design iterations.

-> UI/UX: Making a blockchain-based app feel like a simple publishing platform meant heavy UX iterations and reducing jargon and friction.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Accomplishments we're proud of:

-> Fully decentralized article publishing with anonymous authorship.

-> A working Bitcoin-based staking and reward system.

-> Live demo of a category-based prize pool and voting system.

-> Decentralized content storage via Nostr relays, making it censorship-resistant.

-> Taproot-based author identity framework for pseudonymous reputation.

What we learned

-> Working with the Lightning Network is powerful but complex—it taught us about real-time Bitcoin microtransactions, wallet management, and routing challenges.

-> Privacy on Bitcoin can be enhanced creatively using Taproot. We learned how to build pseudonymous but unique author identities that can gain trust without revealing identity.

-> Building decentralized apps forces you to rethink backend logic, trust models, and data flow—all while avoiding central points of failure.

-> Designing fair incentive systems requires game-theory thinking—we learned how to avoid common attack vectors in staking competitions.

What's next for UNVEIL

-> Full Open-Source Launch: We want to open-source the platform to encourage contributions from the wider community, letting developers contribute their ideas for improving decentralization, security, and usability.

-> Mobile Version: Developing a mobile-first experience is next on the roadmap to ensure access from any device, especially for journalists working in field conditions. This will make Unveil more accessible and versatile.

-> User Growth & Community: We plan to grow the platform's user base, with a focus on attracting journalists, activists, and the open-source community. Building a strong user community will be key for content diversity and platform adoption.