// DEBRIEF

Questions

Straight answers, including the uncomfortable ones. If something here is unclear or wrong, tell us.

01 The basics

What is CAMO?: Digital cash that hides the sender, the receiver and the amount of every payment. Privacy is always on: there is no "transparent" mode to forget to switch off.
Is it a fork of Monero?: Yes, of Monero v0.18, and we say so plainly. CAMO keeps Monero's audited cryptography and consensus code unchanged and only changes parameters: its name, network ports, address format, genesis, 1-minute blocks and launch. We also merge Monero's bug and security fixes. The Monero and CryptoNote copyright notices and BSD-3 license are kept in full.
Then why not just use Monero?: Monero is excellent, and if it does what you need, use it. CAMO is a fresh start with a public stagenet and a fair launch where ordinary CPUs can mine from block 1, one disclosed allocation, and a wallet (Ghillie) designed around mining on the computers you already own.
When does it launch?: The public test network (stagenet) opens Nov 10, 2026. Mainnet starts Dec 15, 2026 at 18:00 UTC. Signed downloads are planned for Dec 7.

Was there a pre-mine or pre-sale?: No sale of any kind. There is one disclosed allocation, fixed into block 1 by the consensus rules so it can't be changed or added to: 489,600 CAMO to the founder and 54,400 CAMO to a public marketing wallet (together 3.0% of the 18.13M main emission), plus 96,000 CAMO sent to a provably unspendable burn address. Everything else is mined.
How can I check that?: Coinbase amounts are public on chain, so anyone can read block 1. The burn address and its public view key are on the home page, and the founder and marketing view keys are published at launch.
How many CAMO will there be?: 18.13 million over the first ~8 years (about 17 CAMO per block at launch, falling smoothly), then a permanent tail of 0.3 CAMO per block so miners are always paid to secure the network.
Where can I buy CAMO?: Nowhere yet, and be wary of anyone selling it before launch: there is nothing to sell. After launch the honest way to get CAMO is to mine it. Built-in BTC to CAMO swaps are planned in Ghillie (Q2 2027).
Is CAMO an investment?: No. It's open-source software. It may be worth nothing. Don't put in money you can't afford to lose.

What exactly is hidden?: The sender (each spend hides among 16 possible senders), the receiver (every payment goes to a fresh one-time address) and the amount (sealed with RingCT and Bulletproofs+). Dandelion++ and optional Tor or I2P make it harder to link a transaction to your IP address.
So it's perfectly untraceable?: No system is. Ring signatures hide the real sender among 16 decoys, and careful analysis of timing and spending habits can sometimes narrow that down. Good habits help: keep your own node, don't reuse outputs in obvious patterns, and use Tor where it matters. The long-term fix is FCMP++, where every spend hides among every coin on the chain; CAMO will adopt it once it's audited and live on Monero.
Why ring size 16 and not bigger?: 16 is the size Monero's researchers chose and years of real-world use have tested. Bigger rings make every transaction larger, slower to verify and more expensive, for a modest gain. We'd rather move to FCMP++ than invent an untested middle step.
Is using CAMO legal?: In most places, using private money is legal, but laws differ and change. Follow the laws where you live.

What do I need to mine?: Any modern computer. CAMO uses RandomX, which favors ordinary CPUs over special hardware. See the mining guide.
Can I mine on my phone?: No. Phones are slow at RandomX and app stores ban mining apps. Ghillie for phones will start, stop and watch mining on your own computers instead.
Which wallet should I use?: For now, the command-line wallet that ships with CAMO (camo-wallet-cli). Ghillie, CAMO's own desktop and mobile wallet, is planned for Q1 2027. Write down your 25 recovery words on paper; they are the only way back into your wallet.
Does Ghillie take a cut of my payments?: No, never on sends. An extra fee output would make Ghillie transactions recognizable, which defeats the point. The only fees are 0.25% on built-in swaps and the 1% official pool fee, both disclosed, plus an optional tip that is off by default.
Do hardware wallets work?: Not yet. Ledger and Trezor apps are built for Monero's network, not CAMO's.

How do I know a download is genuine?: Download only from the links on this site and CAMO's GitHub releases, and check the SHA-256 hash against the hash list signed by CAMO's release key: CAMO release signing <camocoin@proton.me>, fingerprint 5F1A 8350 C748 BC43 AD19 2472 AF13 7B28 E11A 0857 (download the public key; also on keys.openpgp.org). A signature from any other key is not from CAMO. Anyone can rebuild the release from source and compare. Nobody from CAMO will ever DM you a download or ask for your 25 words.
Which accounts are really CAMO?: Only these: this website, GitHub thedifference7717-sys/camo, X @CAMO_Coin and the email camocoin@proton.me. Any other account using the CAMO name is not us. CAMO never DMs first, runs giveaways or asks you to send coins.
I found a security problem.: Please report it privately to camocoin@proton.me, not in public, so it can be fixed before anyone is harmed.