XRP representative and attorney John E Deaton of Rhode Island claimed that the token was used as a micropayment on Twitter long before Bitcoin and it is wrong to assume that only BTC can handle instantaneous, global micro-transactions at scale.
Deaton’s remarks were in response to Anthony Pompliano [aka “Pomp,”] a fervent fan and investor in Bitcoin endorsing the dominant cryptocurrency in the Twitter payment module after Elon Musk assumed charge of the social networking following a contentious legal battle.
It was rumored that the Tesla billionaire would transform Twitter into a “super app” that was capable of far more than just microblogging.
Prior to Deaton’s reaction, Pomp had previously been rebuked by “Crypto Eri,” the creator and host of the YouTube channel of the same name who said it was “insane” to assert that only the Bitcoin network could help Twitter deal with the problem of scalable and fast global micro-transactions.
John E Deaton Rallies Behind XRP
Deaton emphasized that since the token’s designation as a “virtual currency” by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in May 2014, “XRP holders have been using this peer-to-peer decentralized payment system, particularly on Twitter.”
He also mentions the XRP TipBot, which was described in May 2020 as “a multi-platform program that monitors social media posts on Twitter, Reddit, or Discord and allows one person to transfer another XRP.”
Further, Deaton made note of SpendTheBits, which is “a cryptocurrency payment software built on top of XRP Ledger that will enable users to spend their cryptocurrency at low cost & quick speed.”
That said, the majority of the cryptocurrency ecosystems have come in support of blockchain firm Ripple in the XRP/Ripple case to highlight the risks that the XRP, Ripple, and other digital currencies are at risk from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The court recently approved the SEC’s request for an extension of the time for all parties to submit reply papers, which leads up to this current occurrence.
Twelve amici briefs have been submitted by various cryptocurrency exchanges, developers, companies, and even individual bodies, according to Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse.