Though often mischaracterized as “anonymous,” Bitcoin transactions do offer a much higher level of privacy for savvy users than traditional internet payment systems. Activists and journalists may want to add this ability to their toolkit as they make transactions in the service of their essential work.
But Bitcoin privacy is a complicated thing. In a new essay, software engineer Eric Wall examines cryptocurrency privacy and helps clarify the subject for those who need it most. As he explains:
The Bitcoin protocol itself evolves over time, which can lead to dramatic changes in its privacy properties. Changes to the core protocol are seldom simple choices between privacy and transparency alone, but more often come packed with changes to the security, scalability, and backward-compatibility of the software as well. Historically, the trend and ethos within the Bitcoin community has always favored privacy over transparency, but more conservatively so compared to other cryptocurrencies where privacy is the primary focus.
As a result, activists or journalists who are considering using bitcoin to escape the prying eyes of an authoritarian government or a corporation need to understand what type of traces they leave when they’re using it and whether the privacy nature of bitcoin is sufficient for their needs. However, achieving this understanding requires some amount of effort.
This is the first in a series of essays examining the practical applications of cryptocurrency for privacy. They will form the basis for a Coin Center report later this year. You can read the first in this important series here.