Unchained Why the Privacy Coins Mania Is Much More Than Price Action - Ep. 945
66 snips
Nov 14, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, Josh Swihart, CEO of Electric Coin Company, and Harry Halpin, co-founder of Nym Technologies, explore the privacy coin renaissance. They delve into the risks of transparent ledgers beyond user behavior and how zero-knowledge proofs are transforming on-chain privacy. The duo provides insights on institutional interest, Zcash's real-world applications, and the importance of protecting metadata. They also discuss whether major blockchains can realistically integrate privacy features, emphasizing the crucial implications for users and institutions alike.
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Privacy Renaissance Driven By Narrative And UX
- Privacy interest rose due to narrative shifts, geopolitical concerns, and better UX for privacy tools.
- Zcash's shielded pool growth and easier wallets made private transactions accessible to more users.
From Ad Tech Creepy Data To Zcash
- Josh described scraping social media data and mapping it to crypto addresses, which felt creepy and dangerous.
- That realization led him to seek better privacy solutions and eventually to Zcash in 2016.
Privacy Lessons From Revolutions And Repression
- Harry told stories from Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria showing how lack of privacy led to arrests and worse.
- Those events convinced him privacy tooling for the internet and comms was essential for safety.
