If you value decentralization and privacy — and want to be taken seriously in the nostr space — I recommend steering clear of Primal and even recommending it to your friends.

I downloaded the app out of curiosity after hearing about it from others. I created a new npub but quickly discovered I couldn’t zap without submitting personal information. That immediately raised red flags.

As you can see in the screenshots below, the amount of information they request just to enable zaps is excessive. I submitted some placeholder info (definitely not my real name — that would be reckless), and shortly after, my account was flagged. It may have been due to a mismatch between my provided location and my IP address. I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t care to reach out and ask.

This level of data collection isn’t surprising, though — Primal reportedly raised $1 million in venture capital funding. Based on how many VC-backed projects operate, this likely subjects them to compliance obligations, including some form of KYC (Know Your Customer) requirements, especially for anything involving payments or wallets.

Bottom line:

Don’t recommend Primal. Don’t zap them. Don’t give them your money. There are better, more privacy-respecting tools in the Nostr ecosystem that align with the values of decentralization.