How a Hacker Added Her Ethereum Wallet to Twitter’s Tip Jar
In brief
Hacker Jane Wong has gained fame for finding features in apps before they’re announced.
She recently added an Ethereum tips feature that has not been announced by Twitter.
Jack Dorsey, the outgoing Twitter CEO, is known for focusing all of his crypto efforts on Bitcoin—so it’s fitting that, on the day of his resignation, one hacker has been getting attention for adding an Ethereum address to her Twitter tips button.
The hacker is Hong Kong-based Jane Wong, who has gained fame for her skills in tinkering with code on apps like Instagram and Spotify to discover features the companies have yet to announce.
In the case of Twitter, Wong was able to tweak a part of the app that lets users receive tips in the form of Bitcoin or in fiat from Venmo and a handful of other payment platforms. Those payment options for now don’t include Ethereum—but Wong found a way to add one anyways, as this screenshot shows:
“The feature has been there since at least September. But I don’t think it’s widely available yet. I did my magic to add the address to my tip jar,” said Wong in a Twitter message to Decrypt. “I tinker around the internals of the Twitter app.”
The Twitter tipping feature has been restricted to users of iOS mobile devices, though the company is starting to roll it out to Android users too. It’s unclear when (or even if) the company will formally launch the Ethereum tipping option—though skilled hackers can presumably follow Wong’s lead and do it themselves in the meantime.
In response to a request for comment about Wong’s tweak, Twitter told Decrypt that the company is looking into the matter and will reply later.
In the meantime, crypto users on Twitter have used Wong’s tweet to speculate that Dorsey’s departure may usher in a more pro-Ethereum attitude at the company.
As for Wong, she says she’s not aware of whether Dorsey has expressed an opinion on developers working on Ethereum-related features for the platform. But she added, “I think Jack leaving should make getting a green light on these easier.”
