Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Money and Cryptocurrencies
- 2 Bitcoin
- 3 Ethereum
- 4 Solidity Coding for Ethereum
- 5 Ripple
- 6 Privacy Coins
- 7 Blockchain
- 8 Decentralized Finance
- 9 Blockchain Transaction Networks
- 10 Analyzing Blockchain Entities
- 11 Privacy and Security on Blockchain
- 12 E-Crime on Blockchains
- 13 Temporal Analysis
- 14 Conclusion
- References
- Index
6 - Privacy Coins
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 July 2026
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Money and Cryptocurrencies
- 2 Bitcoin
- 3 Ethereum
- 4 Solidity Coding for Ethereum
- 5 Ripple
- 6 Privacy Coins
- 7 Blockchain
- 8 Decentralized Finance
- 9 Blockchain Transaction Networks
- 10 Analyzing Blockchain Entities
- 11 Privacy and Security on Blockchain
- 12 E-Crime on Blockchains
- 13 Temporal Analysis
- 14 Conclusion
- References
- Index
Summary
In this chapter, you will learn about the privacy limitations of public blockchains such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, and how these limitations have led to the development of privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. You will study the motivations for privacy coins and the risks posed by government-issued digital currencies. The chapter introduces and compares three major privacy coins: Zcash, Dash, and Monero. For each, you will explore their underlying technologies, including zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs), CoinJoin-style mixing, and ring signatures with RingCT and stealth addresses. You will also learn about consensus protocols, supply models, and the trade-offs each project makes between privacy, usability, and scalability. Finally, you will analyze the comparative strengths and weaknesses of these systems and understand the broader implications of privacy on blockchains.
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- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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