Why blockchains need privacy
Blockchain privacy is about more than payments — it's about enabling all new types of apps. We discuss the set of onchain privacy-enabling technologies, why they matter, and more with Provable Cofounder and CEO Howard Wu, the brains behind Aleo, a privacy-focused blockchain network, plus a16z crypto Research Partner Justin Thaler.
a16z crypto show · howard wu, justin thaler, robert hackett
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Show Notes
with @1HowardWu @SuccinctJT @rhhackett
Welcome to web3 with a16z. Today’s show is all about privacy, why it matters, and how to achieve it technically onchain.
It's fair to say that many blockchains today are quite… revealing. But that openness and transparency doesn’t work for everything — who would want anyone to have full-on X-Ray vision into your finances? That’s one reason why there’s been a growing appreciation for — and trend toward — more blockchain privacy.
Our guest today argues that there are many other reasons you might want some secrecy too, including a whole host of onchain applications and uses that only become feasible when you have a notion of privacy. That guest is Provable Cofounder and CEO Howard Wu who helped invent the protocols behind and build Aleo, a privacy-focused blockchain network. Wu joins a16z crypto Research Partner Justin Thaler, who is also a computer scientist at Georgetown University (as well as the brains behind the cutting-edge, open source zkVM Jolt), plus me, your host, Robert Hackett.
The first voice you’ll hear is mine, then Howard’s, then Justin’s.
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