Blockchains Are Anonymous Not Private

Blockchains are transparent ledgers in that anyone with a copy of the blockchain can see every transaction. This is necessary due to the way blocks are validated. However, even though transactions are anonymous they are still public and can be used to associate wallet addresses with someone’s identity.

See also:

  • Zk-Snarks Can Prove Possession of Information Privately

    Zero-knowledge succinct non-interactive argument of knowledge (zk-SNARK) can verify that another party is in possession of information without the other party needing to reveal that information or leak parts of it. This is useful because it provides a way of doing private transactions in public.