135 - Crypto Wars 2.0 with Zooko
✨ DEBRIEF ✨ | Ryan & David's Unfiltered Thoughts on the Episode: https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/debrief-crypto-wars-20
As the dust settles with Tornado Cash’s sanctioning news and the arrest of Alexey Pertsev, the space is drawing parallels to the early days of crypto, Crypto Wars 1.0.
We brought on OG cypherpunk privacy developer and co-founder of Zcash, Zooko to talk about Crypto Wars 2.0.
Crypto privacy is being tested in new ways and Zooko couldn’t be in a better place to explain the current complexities. What’s the case for crypto privacy? Why is it such a tough problem to solve? Why is Zooko optimistic about the future of crypto privacy?
What are your thoughts on crypto privacy? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter @banklesshq
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------ Topics Covered:
0:00 Intro 6:25 Zooko’s Background 8:30 The State of Crypto Privacy 13:26 A Privacy Enabled Society 18:34 The Case for Privacy 27:53 Why Privacy Equals Freedom 32:38 The Chilling Effect 35:26 Negative Externalities 38:28 Consent & A.I. 47:22 A.I. vs. Cryptography & Law 55:53 Crypto Wars 1.0 vs. 2.0 1:05:25 CDBC & The Clipper Chip 1:09:26 Why Isn’t Crypto Privacy Bigger 1:18:45 The Crypto Experiment 1:22:51 Solving the Privacy Problem 1:24:30 Privacy & DeFi 1:30:00 PoS & Roll-ups 1:42:50 Optimism on Crypto Privacy
------ Resources:
Zooko https://twitter.com/zooko
Zcash https://z.cash/
----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.
Zcash's Zooko Says Crypto Users Must Have The Choice To Transact Privately
This week on The Defiant podcast we speak to Zooko, the founder of Zcash.
Privacy remains one of the hottest issues in crypto after the U.S. Treasury’s recent move to sanction Tornado Cash. Zooko believes the ability to consent to what information is made public is more about freedom than privacy and he thinks that eventually, this will be expected in the blockchain space.
We explore what a private transaction using ZEC actually looks like, with shielded addresses visible only to the sender and receiver.
Finally, Zooko talks about The Electric Coin Company’s future plans, which include moving Zcash from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake and a standalone wallet.
Thanking our podcast sponsors:
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The Oslo Freedom Forum in New York: Why Decentralization Matters - Ep.85
In this fascinating and compelling panel on Why Decentralization Matters at the Oslo Freedom Forum in New York, I spoke with Alejandro Machado, a researcher at Zcash; Amber Baldet, founder and CEO of Clovyr, a decentralized software and developer tools company; Andy Bromberg, cofounder and president of CoinList, a compliant token offering platform; and Megha Rajagopalan, correspondent for Buzzfeed and former China bureau chief.
In this discussion, we cover what is happening in authoritarian regimes like China and Venezuela that highlight the importance of decentralized technologies, how people in those countries are using crypto assets, and how technologists think about decentralization and censorship-resistance. We also talk about the usability issues of decentralized technologies and how people in authoritarian regimes can even get access to them. Plus, we also look at how bad state actors are also using the same technology to oppress people or evade sanctions.
Thank you to our sponsors!
StartEngine: https://www.startengine.com
Episode links:
PC Mag story on how cryptocurrency is both "an oppressor and a lifeline" in Venezuela: https://www.pcmag.com/feature/362486/in-venezuela-cryptocurrency-is-an-oppressor-and-a-lifeline
Naval on Unchained talking about how money is now speech: http://unchainedpodcast.co/naval-ravikant-on-how-crypto-is-squeezing-vcs-hindering-regulators-and-bringing-users-choice
Google's Dragonfly project: https://theintercept.com/2018/09/14/google-china-prototype-links-searches-to-phone-numbers/
For more on how decentralization and blockchain technology can help Alex Gladstein of the Human Rights Foundation on Unconfirmed: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/alex-gladstein-of-the-human-rights-foundation-on-the-first-crypto-war-ep021
A previous interview with Amber Baldet on Unconfirmed: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/sxsw-episode-amber-baldet-blockchain-program-lead-at-jpmorgan-on-the-potential-clash-between-blockchains-and-the-right-to-be-forgotten
A previous interview with Andy Bromberg on Unconfirmed: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/coinlists-andy-bromberg-on-the-one-big-regulatory-issue-facing-crypto-ep030
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Zcash's Zooko Wilcox on Why He Believes Privacy Coins Will Be Used More for Good Than Bad
Zooko Wilcox, the founder and CEO of the Zcash company, explains why he wanted to create the privacy coin Zcash, why he believes privacy is essential to decentralization, and how encryption is the way censorship-resistance can be created on a technical level. We talk about the revelation that the NSA was targeting Bitcoin users by gathering details on their devices and how even Zcash users could be targeted the same way, but why Zooko believes most people are more concerned about other threats. We also delve into the Facebook/Cambridge Analytics news and why people don't see to care about privacy and why so few people choose to transact privately in Zcash. He also describes he would feel if he knew that criminals were using Zcash for horrible crimes.
Zcash company: https://z.cash/
Matthew Green's bitter tweet about Cryptokitties raising $12 million when he had to beg VCs to give Zcash a fraction of that amount: https://twitter.com/matthew_d_green/status/976298627759972353
The transaction that Zooko and I dissect during the episode: https://explorer.zcha.in/transactions/eed1d3993e52863fd33f9961672a22d016ca2a63f1e452b7d27fc41f5a2f2664
The Intercept article about the NSA tracking Bitcoin users: https://theintercept.com/2018/03/20/the-nsa-worked-to-track-down-bitcoin-users-snowden-documents-reveal/
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56: How To Launch Your Own Form Of Money
By now you've probably heard of Bitcoin. But Bitcoin isn't the only digital currency. In fact, there are hundreds of "altcoins" out there, all of which are different from Bitcoin in varying degrees. One of the hottest new currencies is ZCash, a digital currency designed to provide more anonymity than Bitcoin. And unlike Bitcoin, whose founder is pseudonymous and unknown to the public, ZCash was backed by a company with a known team. In the latest episode of Odd Lots, ZCash founder Zooko Wilcox explains how and why he launched his own currency and explains why anyone would actually use it.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.