FOREWORD

This research aims to visualise and map Ethereum’s privacy ecosystem through a human-centric approach, placing users and their everyday needs first. Privacy should go beyond ecosystem tribalism and technical debates. Tools should remain tools: practical solutions that people can download, understand and integrate into their daily lives.

For this reason, the map begins with advocacy and education, followed by user-facing applications. Wallets, private-payment tools, VPNs and messengers are where privacy becomes tangible—not only for developers, but also for their friends, families and wider communities.

In 2026 Ethereum Foundation published it’s Mandate focused around CROPS (censorship resistant, open-source, privacy-focused & secure attribures):

https://blog.ethereum.org/2026/03/13/ef-mandate

Only then does it move deeper into the ecosystem. Users who become curious can explore identity and governance, while builders can continue into infrastructure, developer tooling, research, academic papers, EIPs and SDKs. These deeper layers may be less visible, but they make accessible privacy applications possible.

The structure moves from the tip of the iceberg toward its technical foundations: from tools the public can use today to the research and development shaping what becomes possible tomorrow. This allows us to map Ethereum privacy through adoption and human needs, while still giving builders, researchers and contributors a clear view of the wider ecosystem.

Watch: Ethereum Privacy Roadmap by Andy Guzman, Lead at Privacy Stewards of Ethereum, at Ethereum Privacy Stack, Devconnect 2025

Think we are missing something? Let us know!

ADVOCACY

Advocacy focuses on promoting policies and practices that enhance privacy protections in the Ethereum ecosystem.

These organisations promote policies and practices that support digital privacy rights and technological advancement.

Coin Center

Advocates for sensible cryptocurrency and privacy laws.

https://www.coincenter.org/

Web3Privacy Now

Promotes, researches and maps privacy tools across Web3.

https://web3privacy.info/

Privacy Guardians

Shares updates concerning digital privacy and rights.

https://privacyguardians.org/

Womxn in Privacy

Supports women and underrepresented leaders working in privacy technology.

https://winprivacy.org/

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Defends digital privacy, encryption and freedom of expression.

https://www.eff.org/

Ethereum Enterprise Alliance Privacy Working Group

Brings enterprises, researchers and developers together to advance privacy standards and business-ready infrastructure for Ethereum.

https://entethalliance.org/the-eea-launches-its-privacy-working-group/

INSTITUTIONAL PRIVACY

Institutional privacy concerns the confidentiality requirements of banks, asset managers, enterprises and regulated organizations using Ethereum. Its focus includes selective disclosure, confidential settlement, identity, performance, interoperability and compliance.

Ethereum Foundation Institutional Privacy Task Force

The IPTF was a dedicated Ethereum Foundation team helping institutions and enterprises adopt Ethereum while meeting their privacy requirements in a performant, secure, usable and accessible way.

https://institutions.ethereum.org/privacy

EthSystems

Engineering and research organization created by the team behind the Institutional Privacy Task Force in July 2026. It develops open-source confidentiality systems for private transfers, bonds, settlement and privacy-preserving identity on Ethereum.

https://ethsystems.org/

Watch: Ethereum Institutional Privacy Now

Oskar Thorin introduces the Institutional Privacy Task Force, followed by a panel featuring Zach Obront from Etherealize, Amzah Moelah from ABN AMRO, Eugenio Reggianini from the European Blockchain Association and François Garillot from Miden.

DAPPS

This category includes applications that prioritize user privacy, enabling secure interactions and transactions within the Ethereum ecosystem.

WALLETS

Wallets allow users to securely store and manage cryptocurrency assets while enhancing privacy and anonymity.

Railway

DeFi wallet using zero-knowledge proofs to shield transactions and balances on Ethereum and other chains.

https://railway.xyz/

Frame

Privacy-first desktop wallet that runs natively on a user’s computer, providing control over keys and application connections.

https://frame.sh/

Brume

Non-custodial Ethereum wallet focused on reducing network, wallet and transaction-level information leakage.

https://brume.money/

Hinkal

Privacy protocol enabling confidential DeFi transactions while supporting selective compliance.

https://hinkal.pro/

Terminal Wallet

Web3 wallet designed for seamless and secure interaction with decentralized applications.

https://terminal.co/

Token Shielder

Shields token transfers and balances using zero-knowledge cryptography.

https://tokenshielder.com/

Kohaku Wallet

Privacy-first wallet architecture and SDK for integrating private reads, private transactions and other privacy features into Ethereum wallets.

https://ethereum.github.io/kohaku/

Starshell

Privacy-preserving Web3 wallet for confidential blockchain ecosystems.

https://starshell.net/

Payy

Payment wallet enabling private peer-to-peer transactions.

https://payy.network/

Brave Wallet

Self-custody cryptocurrency wallet built directly into the Brave browser.

https://brave.com/wallet/

Ambire

Smart wallet with account abstraction, gasless transactions and privacy-conscious gas management. Ambire extended its privacy-preserving Gas Tank functionality to Safe accounts in 2026.

https://ambire.co

Anon

Privacy-oriented wallet and interface for shielded Ethereum activity.

https://anon.inc/

Nyx

Private account governed by an existing Ethereum wallet. Built on Aztec, Nyx supports private transfers and private access to Aave yield.

https://www.nyx.money/

Azguard

Browser-extension wallet for Aztec supporting private accounts, local proof generation and connections to Aztec applications.

https://azguardwallet.io/

Nethermind’s Aztec wallet

Wallet implementation supporting interaction with Aztec’s private execution environment.

https://aztec.network/blog/privacy-abstraction-with-aztec

Kohaku CLI

Early, unaudited command-line interface for experimenting with Kohaku’s wallet privacy architecture.

https://github.com/ethereum/kohaku

Watch: Kohaku—Wallet Privacy on Ethereum by Vitalik Buterin, Nicolas Consigny and Kassandra at Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress 2 in Buenos Aires

Spotlight: Walletbeat

Walletbeat is a public-good project bringing transparency to the Ethereum wallet ecosystem.

https://walletbeat.eth.limo/

TRANSACTIONS

Transactions is category including tools that facilitate private and secure transactions on Ethereum.

Railgun

Privacy system for DeFi using zero-knowledge proofs to shield balances and transactions across multiple chains.

https://railgun.org/

Privacy Pools

Ethereum transaction protocol developed by 0xbow that allows users to prove membership in approved association sets without revealing their complete transaction history.

https://privacypools.com/

Tornado Cash

Decentralized protocol that breaks the public onchain link between source and destination addresses using smart contracts.

https://tornadocash.eth.link/

zkBob

Privacy-preserving stablecoin protocol enabling confidential transfers using zero-knowledge technology.

https://zkbob.com/

Veil Cash

Protocol for private cryptocurrency transactions using shielded transaction infrastructure.

https://veil.cash/

Fairblock

Decentralized infrastructure for encrypted transactions, censorship-resistant ordering and privacy using multiparty computation.

https://fairblock.network/

BlankSquare

Composable privacy tooling using zero-knowledge technology and trusted execution environments.

https://blanksquare.io/

Shutter Network

Threshold-encryption infrastructure for encrypted mempools, governance and protection against malicious MEV.

https://www.shutter.network/

Simple Private Payment L2 by Alpeh_V

Design for private stablecoin payments at near-zero cost, using zero-knowledge proofs and a challenge-based security mechanism.

https://x.com/alpeh_v

Privacy Pools V2

Updated Privacy Pools architecture prepared through a new trusted-setup ceremony in July 2026.

Unlink

Privacy infrastructure for confidential Ethereum transactions and composable DeFi interactions.

https://unlink.xyz/

Nox

Mix-network infrastructure developed by Hisoka Labs to protect users from RPC providers, MEV bots and network observers.

PRIVATE DEFI

Private DeFi applies confidentiality to lending, trading, swaps, yield and financial automation, protecting balances, positions, strategies and counterparties.

Nyx and Aave

Private access to Aave yield through an Aztec-based account.

https://www.nyx.money/

Euler and Unlink

Integration bringing transaction privacy to institutional lending on Euler.

https://www.euler.finance/blog/unlink-is-bringing-transaction-privacy-to-institutional-lending-on-euler

Confidential USDC vault

Private USDC lending vault developed by Zama, Morpho and Steakhouse Financial using fully homomorphic encryption.

https://www.zama.org/post/morpho-zama-steakhouse-launch-confidential-usdc-vault

DarkMargin

Private perpetual-futures trading terminal developed at ETHGlobal New York 2026.

https://ethglobal.com/showcase/darkmargin-etnqz

Privacy Protocol Tracker

Comparison interface created by Swiss-Knife covering protocol fees, waiting periods and supported networks.

https://privacy.eth.sh/

STEALTH ADDRESSES

Stealth addresses enhance privacy by generating unique, unlinkable receiving addresses for transactions.

Fluidkey

Ethereum stealth-account system that generates a different receiving address for every payment.

https://fluidkey.com/

Umbra

Protocol for sending payments to stealth addresses controlled by the intended recipient.

https://umbra.cash/

Night Protocol

Private Ethereum account layer using stealth addresses.

https://x.com/NightProtocol

STELS

Stealth-address implementation for private cryptocurrency transfers.

https://stels.io/

dStealth

Decentralized stealth-address system for private peer-to-peer payments.

https://dstealth.io/

Curvy

Privacy application combining stealth addresses with additional cryptographic techniques.

https://curvy.fi/

CLKD

Stealth-address application with additional privacy functionality and native Privacy Pools integration.

https://www.clkd.xyz/

Sneaky

Turns ENS names into privacy-preserving payment endpoints using fresh one-time stealth addresses.

https://ethglobal.com/showcase/sneaky-02vwq

PORTFOLIO

Portfolio-management tools help users track cryptocurrency assets and investments while prioritizing privacy.

Rotki

Open-source portfolio tracker that runs locally and keeps financial records private.

https://rotki.com/

STORAGE

Storage solutions enable secure and private file storage across Ethereum and decentralized networks.

Swarm

Open-source decentralized storage and communication infrastructure providing censorship-resistant data hosting for Ethereum.

https://ethswarm.org/

Logos Storage

Decentralized storage network focused on durable and sovereign data availability.

https://logos.co/tech-stack

Arcana

Web3 infrastructure platform providing decentralized storage and privacy-preserving access controls.

https://arcana.network/

VPN

VPN and network-privacy services protect IP addresses and communication metadata. They address information that can leak before a transaction reaches Ethereum, even when the transaction itself uses strong cryptography.

Nym

Mixnet protecting network metadata by routing traffic through multiple independent nodes.

https://nym.com/

Gnosis VPN

Privacy-focused VPN built using HOPR’s mixnet infrastructure.

https://gnosisvpn.com/

MASQ dMeshVPN

Decentralized mesh VPN routing traffic through a distributed node network.

https://masq.ai/

VEIL VPN

Pay-as-you-go VPN prototype using trusted execution environments to support verifiable no-logs guarantees.

https://ethglobal.com/showcase/veil-vpn-c643n

MESSENGERS

Privacy-focused messengers provide secure communication channels while attempting to minimize metadata collection.

Status

End-to-end encrypted messenger, wallet and Web3 interface built around Ethereum and the Waku communication protocol.

https://status.app/

Session

Decentralized, end-to-end encrypted messenger designed to minimize metadata collection.

https://getsession.org/

Watch: Decentralization Protects Privacy in Messaging by Chris McCabe from Session at Ethereum Privacy Stack, Devconnect

DOCUMENTS

Decentralized document applications provide private and encrypted alternatives for creating, storing and sharing documents.

dDocs

Decentralized document application enabling private, encrypted document creation and sharing.

https://ddocs.io/

P2P OFFRAMP

Peer-to-peer onramps and offramps allow users to move between cryptocurrency and conventional payment systems without depending completely on centralized exchanges.

ZKP2P

Peer-to-peer fiat-to-crypto infrastructure using zero-knowledge proofs to verify payments without exposing unnecessary financial data.

https://zkp2p.xyz/

BRIDGES AND ONBOARDING INFRASTRUCTURE

Bridges connect public and private execution environments, allowing users to move assets into systems where balances and application activity receive stronger protection.

Shield by Human.tech

Proof-of-humanity bridge for moving assets between Ethereum and Aztec.

https://shield.human.tech/

Aztecscan

Block explorer displaying the intentionally public components of Aztec network activity.

https://aztecscan.xyz/

MESSAGE BOARDS

Anonymous message boards allow people to publish and discuss information without permanently connecting each contribution to a public Ethereum address.

Vitalik’s anonymous Aztec message board

Experimental message board demonstrating anonymous communication through Aztec.

https://farcaster.xyz/vitalik.eth/0x3f88564a

GAMING

Privacy-preserving games use hidden state and zero-knowledge proofs to support strategic uncertainty and actions opponents cannot inspect in advance.

Dark Forest on Aztec

Hidden-information strategy game using private state for exploration, resource management and attacks.

https://aztec.network/blog/privacy-abstraction-with-aztec

PRIVATE PROOF-OF-BURN MINING

Private proof-of-burn systems explore alternative ways of distributing or mining assets while reducing the public connection between participants and their activity.

WORM

Privacy-focused mining protocol using proof-of-burn mechanisms for token distribution.

https://worm.xyz/

IDENTITY & GOVERNANCE

Identity and governance tools allow people to prove attributes, participate in communities and exercise rights without revealing their complete identities, records or political choices.

CREDENTIAL SOLUTIONS

Credential systems allow users to prove specific facts—such as citizenship, uniqueness, age, membership or ownership—without exposing all the underlying identity data.

Rarimo

Permissionless zero-knowledge identity and registry protocol.

https://rarimo.com/

Human.tech

Privacy-preserving human-identity and wallet infrastructure.

https://human.tech/

ZKPassport

Protocol for proving facts from identity documents using zero-knowledge proofs.

https://zkpass.org/

Zupass

System for managing proof-carrying data and privacy-preserving credentials.

https://github.com/proofcarryingdata/zupass

Onflow

Decentralized identity protocol focused on secure, user-controlled identity management.

https://onflow.xyz/

Reclaim Protocol

Infrastructure for proving information from Web2 services without exposing the complete underlying data.

https://reclaimprotocol.org/

Opacity Network

Zero-knowledge protocol for proving claims while hiding supporting private information.

https://www.opacity.network/

Self Protocol

Privacy-preserving identity protocol using zero-knowledge proofs.

https://self.xyz/

QuarkID

Self-sovereign digital-identity framework initiated by the Buenos Aires government.

https://quarkid.org/

Anon Aadhaar

Protocol for privately proving ownership of an Aadhaar identity.

https://github.com/anon-aadhaar/anon-aadhaar

DAO PRIVACY

DAO privacy protects votes, memberships, proposals and internal coordination. Its goal is to support verifiable governance without making every participant’s choices permanently public.

The State of Private Voting report by Shutter Network and Privacy and Scaling Explorations:

https://pse.dev/blog/state-of-private-voting-2026

MACI

Minimum Anti-Collusion Infrastructure for private, collusion-resistant voting.

https://maci.pse.dev/

DaVinci

Zero-knowledge voting protocol for anonymous and verifiable elections.

https://davinci.vote/

Privote

Private voting solution for decentralized organizations.

https://privote.live/

Zupoll

Anonymous community polling using privacy-preserving credentials.

https://zupoll.org/

Freedom Tool

Privacy-preserving voting and civic-participation infrastructure.

https://freedomtool.org/

STANDARDS

Standards and public dashboards establish common expectations for privacy technology. They help users and developers compare projects and discover reusable infrastructure.

Web3Privacy Explorer

Open database mapping and evaluating hundreds of privacy projects across Web3.

https://explorer.web3privacy.info/

Web3Privacy Builder Pack

Toolkit for developers building privacy-first projects.

https://github.com/web3privacy/privacy-builder-pack

Walletbeat

Open repository and evaluation dashboard for EVM-compatible wallets.

https://walletbeat.eth.limo/

INFRASTRUCTURE

Infrastructure encompasses the foundational technologies and protocols supporting privacy-enhancing solutions for Ethereum.

L2S AND ZK ROLLUPS

Privacy-oriented Layer 2 systems move some execution away from Ethereum’s transparent base layer while using Ethereum for settlement or security. They can support private balances, confidential state and programmable private applications.

Aztec

Private-by-default zero-knowledge rollup supporting private accounts, private state and programmable confidential applications.

https://aztec.network/

TEN — Threshold Encryption Network

Ethereum Layer 2 using an encrypted mempool and private smart contracts.

https://ten.xyz/

INTMAX

Stateless zero-knowledge rollup focused on scalability, payments and privacy.

https://intmax.io/

COTI

Ethereum Layer 2 providing privacy-on-demand through garbled-circuit cryptography.

https://coti.io/

Shinobi

Cross-chain privacy protocol built using the Open Intents Framework.

https://shinobi.cash/

Manta Network

Modular Layer 2 infrastructure using zero-knowledge technology.

https://manta.network/

Miden

STARK-based rollup and virtual machine supporting private accounts and transactions.

https://miden.xyz/

Nightfall

Enterprise-oriented privacy rollup developed by EY for private business transactions.

https://github.com/EYBlockchain/nightfall_3

PlasmaFold

Experimental Layer 2 design combining Plasma with modern folding schemes and client-side proving.

https://pse.dev/projects/plasma-fold

Privacy Boost

Privacy SDK for OP Stack networks combining zero-knowledge proofs and trusted execution environments.

https://www.privacyboost.io/resources/blog/introducing-privacy-boost

Silent Data

Programmable privacy layer from Applied Blockchain that allows developers to define privacy logic in Solidity.

https://www.silentdata.com/

Lineth

Enterprise-grade EVM Layer 2 framework for developing public, permissioned or private zero-knowledge rollup networks.

https://github.com/Consensys/doc.linea

INSTITUTIONAL AND ENTERPRISE INFRASTRUCTURE

Institutional privacy infrastructure supports confidential settlement, trading, lending, identity and asset management while enabling selective disclosure.

EthSystems

Modular confidentiality infrastructure for institutions using Ethereum.

https://ethsystems.org/

Base Privacy

Infrastructure for enterprises to trade, pay and settle on Base with confidentiality and built-in compliance functionality.

Paladin

Open-source programmable privacy platform for EVM-compatible networks, supporting private tokens, private smart contracts and selective disclosure.

https://www.paladinprivacy.org/

Silent Data

TEE-based programmable privacy infrastructure for payments, tokenization and data-sensitive workflows.

https://www.silentdata.com/

Euler and Unlink

Confidential transaction infrastructure for institutional lending.

https://www.euler.finance/blog/unlink-is-bringing-transaction-privacy-to-institutional-lending-on-euler

Confidential USDC vault

Private stablecoin lending infrastructure developed by Zama, Morpho and Steakhouse Financial.

https://www.zama.org/post/morpho-zama-steakhouse-launch-confidential-usdc-vault

NETWORK AND RPC PRIVACY

Network and RPC privacy protects the connection between users and Ethereum infrastructure. It aims to prevent RPC providers and other observers from connecting IP addresses with wallets, queries and transactions.

Nym

Mixnet providing metadata-resistant network communication.

https://nym.com/

HOPR

Privacy-preserving peer-to-peer data transport and mixnet infrastructure.

https://hoprnet.org/

RPCh

Privacy-oriented RPC relay network.

https://github.com/hoprnet/RPCh

Tor

Onion-routing network used to protect Ethereum users’ IP addresses and network activity.

https://www.torproject.org/

Tor Ethereum Ecosystem

Directory of privacy-preserving tools and infrastructure that use Tor across the Ethereum ecosystem.

https://github.com/igor53627/tor-ethereum-ecosystem

Watch: Roger Dingledine from the Tor Project and Vitalik Buterin discuss integrating Tor into Ethereum.

SecureRPC

Private RPC infrastructure for Web3 developed by Manifold Finance.

https://manifoldfinance.com/

Nox

Mix-network layer shielding identities and requests from RPC and MEV infrastructure.

Anon-RPC

Standard and reference implementation for anonymized wallet and application RPC requests.

https://github.com/privacy-ethereum/anon-rpc

PRIVATE COMPUTE

Private-computation infrastructure makes it possible to process encrypted or distributed data without exposing the underlying information. Approaches include fully homomorphic encryption, multiparty computation and trusted execution environments.

Inco

Confidential-computation infrastructure for smart contracts.

https://inco.org/

Zama

Fully homomorphic encryption infrastructure for blockchain and AI applications.

https://www.zama.ai/

NuCypher

Threshold cryptography and decentralized encryption infrastructure.

https://github.com/nucypher/nucypher

Mind Network

Fully homomorphic encryption and zero-trust data infrastructure.

https://mindnetwork.xyz/

Fhenix

Ethereum-compatible confidential-computation infrastructure powered by fully homomorphic encryption.

https://www.fhenix.io/

Oasis

Confidential smart-contract and data-computation infrastructure.

https://oasisprotocol.org/

Arcium

Encrypted computation network for processing data without exposing its contents.

https://arcium.com/

TACEO

Multiparty-computation infrastructure for privacy-preserving applications.

https://taceo.io/

NODE AND CROSS-CHAIN

Node and cross-chain infrastructure helps users operate Ethereum services independently and move assets between networks without introducing unnecessary surveillance or trusted intermediaries.

Dappnode

Self-hosted infrastructure for operating Ethereum nodes and decentralized services.

https://dappnode.io/

Panther Protocol

Privacy-preserving DeFi and cross-chain transaction infrastructure.

https://pantherprotocol.io/

Chainlink

Decentralized oracle and cross-chain communication infrastructure.

https://chain.link/

Warp Toad

Cross-chain privacy bridge connecting Ethereum, Scroll and Aztec using zero-knowledge proofs.

https://github.com/JossDuff/warp-toad

SilentSwap

Non-custodial cross-chain privacy aggregator using trusted execution environments.

https://www.silentswap.com/

TOOLING

Tooling includes utility software, SDKs, libraries, proof systems, developer frameworks, indexers and dashboards used to add privacy to wallets and applications.

ZK INFRASTRUCTURE

Zero-knowledge infrastructure allows developers to create, aggregate and verify proofs without rebuilding the underlying cryptographic systems for every application.

Summa

Zero-knowledge proofs for financial and cross-chain verification.

https://github.com/summa-dev

Nebra

Proof aggregation and decentralized zero-knowledge proving infrastructure.

https://nebra.one/

Axiom

Zero-knowledge coprocessor allowing smart contracts to verify historical Ethereum data.

https://www.axiom.xyz/

Proof-Carrying Data

Framework for composable cryptographic proofs.

https://github.com/proofcarryingdata

PROTOCOLS

Privacy protocols provide reusable mechanisms for anonymous membership, reputation, communication, authentication, rate limiting and private transactions.

UniRep

Private reputation protocol using zero-knowledge proofs.

https://unirep.io/

Bandada

Privacy-preserving group-management infrastructure for zero-knowledge applications.

https://bandada.pse.dev/

ZKProtocol

Zero-knowledge-focused protocol tooling.

https://zkprotocol.xyz/

Bermuda

Early-stage privacy and zero-knowledge protocol.

https://bermudabay.xyz/

Rate-Limiting Nullifier

Anonymous rate-limiting protocol designed to prevent spam without identifying users.

https://rate-limiting-nullifier.github.io/rln-docs/rln.html

zkETHer

Privacy-preserving transaction protocol for Ethereum.

https://github.com/yashsharma22003/zkETHer-app

Semaphore

Protocol for anonymous group membership, signaling and voting.

https://semaphore.pse.dev/

TLSNotary

Protocol for creating verifiable proofs of data received through TLS sessions.

https://tlsnotary.org/

WALLET AND DEVELOPER TOOLING

Wallet tooling gives developers reusable components for private transfers, private reads, account discovery and interaction with privacy protocols.

Kohaku

Ethereum wallet-privacy SDK and reference implementation.

https://ethereum.github.io/kohaku/

Kohaku Privacy Pools and Tornado Cash integrations

Components helping wallet teams integrate established privacy protocols.

https://github.com/ethereum/kohaku

Myotis

Trustless Ethereum wallet engine.

https://github.com/biafra23/myotis

Oblivious Node

Server infrastructure for Kohaku’s embedded execution client and private state reads.

https://github.com/obliviouslabs/oblivious_node

dRPC NodeCore

Open-source RPC load balancer supporting resilient and decentralized Ethereum access.

https://github.com/drpcorg/nodecore

WebTor-rs

Tor client intended for Ethereum and browser-based applications.

https://github.com/privacy-ethereum/webtor-rs

Open Creator Rails

Verifiable onchain runtime for subscriptions and time-bound access to digital resources, with privacy-preserving linkage.

https://blog.ethereum.org/2026/04/29/allocation-q1-26

PRIVATE READS AND PIR

Private-read and private information retrieval tools allow users to request blockchain data without revealing which addresses, balances, contracts or records they are inspecting.

Poulpy

Rust-based private information retrieval library for efficient, batched queries over large key-value databases.

https://github.com/poulpy-fhe/poulpy

Quixote

Rust EVM event indexer with Tor-based private reads and GraphQL support.

https://github.com/bilinearlabs/quixote

Raven

Private information retrieval tooling developed by Hisoka Labs.

DOMAINS

Domain-specific tools apply privacy protections to particular areas such as governance, storage, messaging, code collaboration, RPC access and MEV protection.

Shutter

Threshold encryption for MEV protection and encrypted mempools.

https://www.shutter.network/

Logos Storage

Sovereign decentralized data storage.

https://logos.co/tech-stack

Logos Messaging

Privacy-preserving peer-to-peer messaging infrastructure.

https://logos.co/tech-stack

Spook

Proof-of-concept Ethereum RPC request mixer using the Nym network.

https://github.com/EdenBlockVC/spook

Enclave

Secure governance and coordination tooling.

https://enclave.gg/

Radicle

Peer-to-peer, sovereign code collaboration.

https://radicle.xyz/

DASHBOARDS

Dashboards make the ecosystem easier to evaluate by comparing privacy properties, protocol usage, costs, waiting periods and supported networks.

PSE Private Transfers Dashboard

Tracks private-transfer systems and approaches across Ethereum.

https://pse.dev/blog/announcing-private-transfers-dashboard

L2BEAT Privacy

Compares privacy properties across Ethereum Layer 2 networks.

https://l2beat.com/privacy/summary

Privacy Protocol Tracker

Compares fees, waiting periods and network support across privacy protocols.

https://privacy.eth.sh/

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

This category covers initiatives and projects dedicated to advancing privacy technologies and methodologies throughout Ethereum.

APPLIED RESEARCH

Applied research turns theoretical privacy techniques into working prototypes, libraries and integrations.

Nova Verifier

Recursive zero-knowledge proof system and verifier infrastructure.

https://github.com/microsoft/Nova

Folding Schemes

Framework for folding schemes in cryptographic settings.

https://github.com/privacy-scaling-explorations/folding-schemes

RESEARCH

Nova

Recursive proof system using folding schemes.

https://github.com/microsoft/Nova

Local Mixing

Open-source exploration of practical indistinguishability obfuscation using reversible circuits.

https://github.com/phantomzone-org/local_mixing

Privacy Ethereum

Research and implementation work covering Tor, anonymous RPC access and Ethereum network privacy.

https://github.com/privacy-ethereum

Protecting Ethereum User Anonymity via Tor

Research and implementation work integrating Tor with Ethereum light clients to improve user anonymity and network resilience.

https://blog.ethereum.org/2026/04/29/allocation-q1-26

Ethereum P2P Networking Efficiency, Privacy and Interoperability

Work involving PeerDAS cell-level deltas, GossipSub streams and Encrypted Client Hello for libp2p QUIC.

https://github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p

The Open Anonymity Project

Open-source modular stack using blind signatures and TEE-compatible servers for unlinkable access to gated API services.

https://blog.ethereum.org/2026/04/29/allocation-q1-26

Frame Transactions and the Three Gates to Privacy

Research examining the conditions required for meaningful Ethereum transaction privacy.

https://ethresear.ch/t/frame-transactions-and-the-three-gates-to-privacy/24666

PAPERS

Research papers examine the security, performance, compliance and design assumptions behind emerging privacy systems.

Privacy-Preserving Compliance Checks on Ethereum via Selective Disclosure

Research into demonstrating compliance conditions without exposing complete transaction or identity information.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.18539

PlasmaFold: An Efficient and Scalable Layer 2 with Client-Side Proving

Paper describing a Layer 2 design combining server-side block proofs with client-side balance proofs.

https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/1300

LOW-LEVEL LIBRARIES

Low-level libraries and programming languages provide the foundational components needed to create smart contracts, circuits and zero-knowledge applications.

Solidity

Primary programming language for Ethereum smart contracts.

https://soliditylang.org/

Noir

Domain-specific language for writing zero-knowledge programs.

https://noir-lang.org/

Circom

Circuit-description language for zero-knowledge proofs.

https://circom.io/

Halo 2

Framework for building efficient zero-knowledge proof systems.

https://github.com/zcash/halo2

DEVELOPMENT SHOPS AND RESEARCH LABS

Development studios and research laboratories design protocols, conduct cryptographic research and transform experimental privacy technology into usable infrastructure.

Fat Solutions

Development studio focused on cryptography and privacy-preserving blockchain systems.

https://www.fatsolutions.io/

Distributed Lab

Blockchain engineering and research laboratory.

https://distributedlab.com/

Wonderland

Research and development collective building decentralized financial infrastructure.

https://defi.sucks/

Privacy and Scaling Explorations

Ethereum research and development lab working on privacy, identity, scaling and zero-knowledge technology.

https://pse.dev/

PSE roadmap

https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/pse-roadmap-2025-and-beyond/25423

Silence Laboratories

Research laboratory specializing in distributed cryptography and privacy infrastructure.

https://www.silencelaboratories.com/

Primus Labs

Privacy and cryptography research organization.

https://www.primuslabs.xyz/

Encrypt Labs

Developer of zkTLS infrastructure for verifying private web data onchain.

https://www.encryptlabs.org/

nil; Foundation

Research organization working on zero-knowledge proofs, databases and Ethereum scalability.

https://nil.foundation/

0xPARC

Research collective supporting programmable cryptography and privacy applications.

https://0xparc.org/

RaidGuild

Decentralized collective of Web3 developers and designers.

https://www.raidguild.org/

Nethermind Research

Cryptography and protocol-research division of Nethermind.

https://www.nethermind.io/nethermind-research

a16z Crypto Research

Research team working on cryptography, blockchain protocols and mechanism design.

https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/focus-areas/research/

Client-Side GPU Acceleration by PSE

Research into generating zero-knowledge proofs on users’ devices while considering post-quantum requirements.

https://pse.dev/blog/client-side-gpu-everyday-ef-privacy

Hisoka Labs

Research and development team working on Nox, Raven and network-level Ethereum privacy.

https://x.com/hisoka_labs

PRIVATE INFORMATION RETRIEVAL

Private information retrieval allows users to query a database without revealing which information they requested.

Plinko PIR Tutorial by Vitalik Buterin

https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2025/11/25/plinko.html

Poulpy

Production-oriented Rust private information retrieval library.

https://github.com/poulpy-fhe/poulpy

Raven

Ethereum-focused private information retrieval tooling.

EIPS AND ERCS

Ethereum Improvement Proposals and Ethereum Requests for Comment define potential protocol changes and shared application standards.

ERC-7746

Composable Security Middleware Hooks.

https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/erc-7746-composable-security-middleware-hooks/19471

ERC-5630

Encryption and decryption interface for Ethereum applications.

https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-5630

ERC-5564

Standard for stealth addresses.

https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-5564

EIP-7503

Zero-Knowledge Wormholes, enabling private ETH conversion through proof of historical token burning.

https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-7503

ERC-2494

Standardization of the Baby Jubjub elliptic curve.

https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/eip-2494-baby-jubjub-elliptic-curve/3968

EIP-8105

Universal, scheme-agnostic encrypted-mempool proposal designed to protect transactions from front-running and sandwich attacks.

https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-8105

EIP-8182

Proposal for a canonical validity layer supporting private ETH and compatible ERC-20 transfers.

https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-8182

EIP-8184

LUCID encrypted-mempool proposal for commit-before-reveal inclusion of MEV-sensitive transactions.

https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-8184

EIP-8222

Lean Staking proposal for simplifying Ethereum’s staking architecture.

https://eip.tools/eip/8222

EIP-8287

Draft privacy-native fungible-token standard.

https://ethresear.ch/t/eip8287-privacy-native-fungible-token-standard-draft/25089

ERC-8085

Dual-mode fungible-token proposal supporting public and private transaction modes.

https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/erc-8085-dual-mode-fungible-tokens/26592

ERC-8086

Privacy-token standard proposal.

https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/erc-8086-privacy-token/26623

COMMUNITIES

Communities create spaces for Ethereum privacy developers, researchers, users, educators and advocates to exchange knowledge and coordinate their work.

MAJOR ORGANIZATIONS

Department of Decentralisation

Community and event organization supporting decentralization and cypherpunk principles.

https://www.decentralisation.gov/

Web3Privacy Now

Global community mapping, researching and supporting privacy technologies.

https://web3privacy.info/

COMMUNITY GROUPS

Privacy LatAm

Community supporting privacy education and development across Latin America.

https://x.com/latamzk

Logos Circles

Local groups discussing sovereign, decentralized and privacy-preserving technologies.

https://logos.co/

Crecimiento

Argentina-based Ethereum community supporting builders, education and privacy initiatives.

https://x.com/CrecimientoOrg

EVENTS

Events bring developers, researchers, institutions, activists and users together to discuss privacy, form collaborations and test new technologies.

HACKATHONS

Hackathons provide concentrated time and support for developers to prototype privacy applications and experiment with emerging infrastructure.

OFFLINE HACKATHONS

ETHRome

Ethereum hackathon in Rome with zero-knowledge and privacy tracks.

https://ethrome.com/

ETHDam

Amsterdam conference and hackathon focused on privacy, security and zero-knowledge proofs.

https://ethdam.com/

ETHBerlin

Berlin Ethereum hackathon rooted in open-source and cypherpunk culture.

https://ethberlin.com/

ETHTokyo

Tokyo-based Ethereum hackathon and developer community driven by cypherpunk principles.

https://www.ethtokyo.org/

ETHPrague

Ethereum conference and hackathon exploring privacy, coordination and public-interest applications.

https://ethprague.com/

ETHBelgrade

Ethereum conference and hackathon held during Belgrade Blockchain Week.

https://ethbelgrade.rs/

Web3Privacy HACKS

Privacy-focused hackathon series organized by Web3Privacy Now.

https://web3privacy.info/hacks

2026 HACKATHONS

ETHDenver 2026

February 18–21, Denver.

https://ethdenver.com/

ETHMumbai 2026

March 12–15, Mumbai.

https://www.ethmumbai.in/

ETHGlobal Cannes 2026

April 3–5, featuring projects involving privacy, zero-knowledge proofs, threshold cryptography and trusted execution environments.

https://ethglobal.com/events/cannes2026

Open Agents 2026

Online hackathon focused on autonomous agents and related infrastructure.

https://ethglobal.com/

ETHPrague 2026

May 8–10, including a dedicated Best Privacy by Design award.

https://ethprague.com/hackathon/

ETH Beijing 2026

June 5–7, focused on AI and Web3.

https://www.ethbeijing.xyz/

ETHGlobal New York 2026

June 12–14, featuring privacy, security, zero-knowledge, TEE and private-agent projects.

https://ethglobal.com/events/newyork2026

SELECTED 2026 HACKATHON PROJECTS

DarkMargin

Private perpetual-futures trading terminal.

https://ethglobal.com/showcase/darkmargin-etnqz

Sneaky

ENS-linked stealth addresses with private fund recovery.

https://ethglobal.com/showcase/sneaky-02vwq

VEIL VPN

Verifiable no-logs VPN using trusted execution environments.

https://ethglobal.com/showcase/veil-vpn-c643n

DKG

Partial implementation of non-interactive distributed key generation using zero-knowledge proofs.

https://ethglobal.com/showcase?events=cannes2026

ETHGlobal Cannes 2026 privacy projects

Includes Warden, Unlinked, Crochet and other applications using privacy primitives.

https://ethglobal.com/showcase?events=cannes2026

Lumen

Winner of ETHPrague’s Best Privacy by Design award.

https://ethprague2026.devfolio.co/projects

Penumbra

Onchain auction application developed at ETHMumbai.

https://devfolio.co/projects/penumbra-4c99

CONGRESSES

Congresses connect the technical development of Ethereum privacy with its political, cultural and cypherpunk foundations.

Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress

Gathering for Ethereum privacy developers, researchers, activists and cypherpunks.

https://cypherpunkcongress.org/

SUMMITS

Summits provide interdisciplinary spaces for presenting research, discussing strategy and connecting privacy technology with human rights and public-interest infrastructure.

Web3Privacy Summit

Annual summit focused on privacy tools, research and community coordination.

https://web3privacy.info/summit

Neocypherpunk Summit

2026 Berlin gathering that brought approximately 1,000 participants together across privacy technology, digital rights, cryptography, culture and public infrastructure.

https://web3privacy.info/events

Global Encryption Day

International campaign defending strong encryption.

https://globalencryptionday.org/

Crecimiento Privacy Summit

Latin American gathering focused on privacy and Ethereum.

https://crecimientosummit.com/

MEETUPS

Meetups support recurring local discussions and help people enter the privacy ecosystem without needing to attend a major international event.

Web3Privacy Now Meetups

Local gatherings for privacy developers, researchers, activists and users.

https://web3privacy.info/meetups

Privacy Guardians

Community events and online discussions covering privacy and digital rights.

https://privacyguardians.org/events

Ethereum Privacy Stack 2025 video archive

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSsVHWrO8Yh2ZGBLyQRJAZNymvVCOlJJl

Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress 2 video archive

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSsVHWrO8Yh06WlNcYKtIDMjPiUXJjADu

CONTENT

Content encompasses educational resources, publications and blogs that provide insights and information about privacy initiatives and technologies.

Make Ethereum Cypherpunk Again — Vitalik Buterin

https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2023/12/28/cypherpunk.html

Ethereum Cypherpunk Manifesto — Pcaversaccio

https://hackmd.io/@pcaversaccio/the-ethereum-cypherpunk-manifesto

Ethereum Cypherpunk Starter Kit — Paul-Dylan Ennis

FUNDING

Funding includes opportunities and initiatives dedicated to financially supporting projects aimed at enhancing privacy in the Ethereum ecosystem.

PUBLIC GOODS

Gitcoin

A platform focused on funding public goods and supporting open-source projects.

https://www.gitcoin.co/

Giveth

A platform that enables direct donations to social projects that benefit public goods.

https://giveth.io/

Namada

A protocol for decentralised private transactions with a focus on asset privacy.

https://namada.net/

GCC — Gitcoin Community Council

A community-driven initiative within Gitcoin for governance and decision-making.

https://gcc.gitcoin.co/

Drips

A platform for creating sustainable revenue through subscription contributions to projects.

https://www.drips.network/

Octant

A discovery and funding platform for Web3 public-goods projects and sustainable ecosystems.

https://octant.app/

Gitcoin’s 2025 privacy funding round was facilitated by Privacy and Scaling Explorations and Web3Privacy Now.

ETHEREUM FOUNDATION GRANTS

Ethereum Foundation grants support protocol research, open-source tooling, private reads, wallet privacy, network anonymity and experimental privacy applications.

Ethereum Foundation Q1 2026 allocation update:

https://blog.ethereum.org/2026/04/29/allocation-q1-26

Supported work includes:

Kohaku

https://github.com/ethereum/kohaku

dRPC NodeCore

https://github.com/drpcorg/nodecore

Oblivious Node

https://github.com/obliviouslabs/oblivious_node

Poulpy

https://github.com/poulpy-fhe/poulpy

Quixote

https://github.com/bilinearlabs/quixote

Local Mixing

https://github.com/phantomzone-org/local_mixing

Ethereum Privacy Research

https://github.com/privacy-ethereum

The supported work also includes Tor bridge scalability and wider Ethereum privacy research.

VENTURE CAPITALISTS

a16z crypto

A venture-capital firm supporting crypto and blockchain startups through investment and research.

https://a16zcrypto.com/

Outlier Ventures

A venture platform and accelerator focused on the development of the Web3 ecosystem.

https://outlierventures.io/

Polychain Capital

A cryptocurrency investment firm investing in blockchain projects and protocols.

https://polychain.capital/

Binance

A global cryptocurrency company that also invests in blockchain projects.

https://www.binance.com/

Eden Block

A venture-capital firm focused on investing in crypto and blockchain startups.

https://www.edenblock.com/

Consensys

A blockchain software company that develops decentralised applications and Ethereum infrastructure.

https://consensys.io/

Lunar Ventures

A European deep-tech venture fund that has made investments in Ethereum-related projects.

https://www.lunar.vc/

1kx

An investment firm backing blockchain technologies and decentralised networks at key stages of development.

https://1kx.capital/

INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS

Vitalik Buterin

Co-founder of Ethereum and a prominent figure in the blockchain community.

https://x.com/VitalikButerin

Imogen Heap

Musician and creative technologist known for her innovative work across music and blockchain.

https://x.com/imogenheap

Stani Kulechov

Founder of Aave, a decentralised finance lending protocol.

https://x.com/StaniKulechov

Joseph Lubin

Co-founder of Ethereum and founder of Consensys.

https://x.com/JosephLubin

Stefan George

Co-founder of Gnosis, known for decentralised infrastructure supporting DeFi and DAOs.

https://x.com/StefanDGeorge

Hsiao-Wei Wang

Co-Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation.

https://x.com/hwwonx

Gavin Wood

Co-founder of Ethereum and founder of Parity Technologies and Polkadot, known for his contributions to blockchain technology and smart-contract development.

https://x.com/gavofyork

ACCELERATORS

LongHash Ventures

A startup accelerator and investor supporting companies in the blockchain and crypto ecosystem.

https://www.longhash.vc/

COTI Builders Program

A programme supporting teams that build privacy-oriented applications and infrastructure.

https://coti.io/

Alliance DAO

A decentralised organisation and accelerator helping to launch and connect Web3 startups.

https://www.alliance.xyz/

Web3Privacy Now

A community supporting privacy-preserving ideas, projects and builders across Web3.

https://web3privacy.info/

Outlier Ventures

A venture platform and accelerator focused on the development of the Web3 ecosystem.

https://outlierventures.io/

BREW Berlin

A local hub focused on free and open-source software development, including a dedicated privacy track.

https://www.brew.berlin/

Video: Who pays for privacy? The real cost of building aligned apps — Lefteris Karapetsas, Ethereum Privacy Stack 2026

ORGANISATIONS

Ethereum Foundation

A nonprofit organisation that supports the Ethereum ecosystem through research, development and grants.

https://ethereum.foundation/

Aztec Foundation

A foundation focused on developing privacy technology for Ethereum.

https://aztec.network/

Moloch DAO

A decentralised autonomous organisation created to fund Ethereum development and public goods.

https://molochdao.com/

Protocol Labs

A research and development organisation supporting open-source protocols and decentralised infrastructure.

https://protocol.ai/

Logos

A movement and technology stack dedicated to rebuilding civil society through decentralised, privacy-preserving infrastructure.

https://logos.co/

THE STATE OF PRIVACY HACKATHONS IN ETHEREUM

HEADLINE METRICS

We analysed 40 hackathons that attracted 10,692 hackers and generated 5,194 projects.

Out of these 40 events, 31 featured privacy-focused projects. The combined prize pool across all events was $4.8 million, while 417 submitted projects were dedicated to privacy.

What this means:

Privacy is no longer a niche concern in the Ethereum ecosystem. With approximately 8% of all projects focusing on privacy and more than three-quarters of the analysed hackathons producing privacy use cases, privacy-focused development has become mainstream.

This represents a fundamental shift from privacy being treated as an afterthought toward its recognition as a core concern for Ethereum builders.

TOP THREE EVENT ORGANISERS

ETHGlobal organised 11 events that generated 3,945 submissions. Of these, 216 were privacy projects, representing 5.5% of the total.

Independent organisers collectively ran 25 events, receiving 1,047 submissions and producing 154 privacy projects. This represents a substantially higher privacy rate of 14.7%.

ETHWarsaw organised two events with 50 submissions, 16 of which were privacy projects. This resulted in an impressive privacy rate of 32%.

What this means:

Large global organisers such as ETHGlobal bring volume and scale, attracting thousands of participants. Niche and regional organisers, particularly those with dedicated privacy or technical themes, generate significantly greater privacy intensity.

ETHWarsaw’s 32% privacy rate is almost six times higher than ETHGlobal’s 5.5%, demonstrating that specialised, community-driven events can create environments in which privacy innovation thrives.

Funding and support should therefore be distributed not only to mega-events, but also strategically to smaller and more focused gatherings that perform above their weight in privacy innovation.

PARTICIPATION AND SUBMISSIONS

On average, each hackathon received 13 privacy-focused submissions, attracted 313 hackers and generated 130 total submissions.

What this means:

These averages suggest that privacy projects represent approximately 10% of submissions at the typical event: 13 out of 130.

The relatively modest average of 313 hackers per event also indicates that smaller and more intimate hackathons are common in the dataset. This intimacy may benefit privacy innovation because smaller events often enable deeper mentorship, more focused themes and stronger community relationships.

The data supports the conclusion that targeted, mid-sized events can yield stronger privacy innovation than massive, general-purpose gatherings.

PRIZE DISTRIBUTION

The median prize pool was $32,500, while the average prize pool was $120,000. Events with prize pools below $200,000 achieved the greatest privacy intensity.

What this means:

The considerable difference between the median prize pool of $32,500 and the average of $120,000 indicates that several very large prize pools skew the average upward, while most events operate with more modest budgets.

The finding that events below $200,000 maximise privacy intensity is important. It suggests that allocating a very large amount of money to a hackathon does not automatically produce more privacy innovation.

Mid-sized, targeted events with specialised themes and strong mentorship can outperform mega-events. For funders, strategic investment in focused events may therefore produce better results than sponsoring only the largest hackathons.

TOP FIVE DOMAINS

Finance dominates the landscape with 153 projects, representing 36.7% of all privacy work. This category includes confidential swaps, private payments and lending primitives.

Social and Messaging follows with 100 projects, or 23.9% of the total, reflecting growing demand for private communication tools.

AI and Data Privacy accounted for 51 projects, representing 12.2% and demonstrating growing interest in the category.

Authentication and Identity included 26 projects, or 6.2%.

Infrastructure completed the top five with 14 projects, representing 3.4%.

What this means:

Finance’s dominance, accounting for more than one-third of all privacy projects, reflects both the maturity of DeFi and the immediate need for confidentiality in financial transactions.

The strong position of Social and Messaging, at almost one-quarter of projects, indicates that builders recognise communication privacy as both a fundamental right and a real market need.

AI and Data Privacy represents 12.2% of projects despite its very high market potential, suggesting an emerging category with considerable room for growth.

The limited number of Infrastructure projects is concerning because strong privacy infrastructure is foundational to every other use case.

The distribution shows where builders are naturally concentrating their efforts—finance and social applications—and where important gaps remain, including infrastructure, governance, healthcare and education.

TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE

Zero-Knowledge technology dominates the landscape, appearing in 145 projects and receiving 310 total mentions across different implementations.

Trusted Execution Environments appeared in 18 projects.

Multi-Party Computation appeared in 32 projects.

Fully Homomorphic Encryption appeared in only 12 projects.

Another 210 projects used other or custom approaches.

Within the Zero-Knowledge ecosystem:

Circom and snarkjs led with 28 mentions.

Noir and Aztec followed with 21 mentions.

Polygon zkEVM received 15 mentions.

Cairo and Starknet received eight mentions.

Halo2 and zkEVM received six mentions.

Other or custom ZK implementations accounted for another 67 mentions.

What this means:

Zero-Knowledge technology is the dominant privacy primitive in the Ethereum ecosystem, appearing in approximately one-third of all privacy projects.

Its versatility—from confidential transactions to private identity and verifiable computation—makes it a general-purpose tool for privacy development.

Fragmentation among Circom, Noir, Polygon, Cairo, Halo2 and other implementations indicates a healthy and competitive ecosystem, but it can also produce developer confusion and fragmented tooling.

The relatively limited adoption of FHE and MPC suggests that these remain specialised technologies for particular use cases rather than general-purpose solutions.

The 210 projects using other approaches demonstrate significant experimentation beyond established primitives, which is healthy for the ecosystem’s long-term development.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

Europe led with 17 events, producing 145 privacy projects and achieving a privacy rate of 13.1%.

Latin America hosted eight events, producing 88 privacy projects and reaching a privacy rate of 12.3%.

Asia hosted five events that generated 79 privacy projects and achieved an 8.4% privacy rate.

Africa organised two events with five privacy projects, representing a 6.5% privacy rate.

North America hosted two events with 20 privacy projects, achieving a privacy rate of 3.9%.

Six virtual events produced 80 privacy projects and achieved a privacy rate of 4.3%.

What this means:

Europe’s 17 events, 145 projects and 13.1% privacy rate establish it as a global centre for Ethereum privacy innovation. This likely reflects Europe’s strong privacy culture, its academic cryptography institutions and its active local communities. It is also important to recognise that global builders travel to European events.

Latin America’s 12.3% privacy rate is particularly notable, positioning the region as an emerging secondary hub with a rate close to Europe’s. This may reflect regional demand for financial privacy as well as strong local organising.

Asia’s lower privacy rate, despite its active communities, may indicate different development priorities or approaches.

North America’s 3.9% privacy rate across only two events suggests substantial room for growth.

The lower performance of virtual events also reinforces the importance of direct, face-to-face interaction for privacy innovation.

TOP FIVE HACKATHONS BY PRIVACY PERCENTAGE

ETHBelgrade achieved the highest privacy focus at 50%, meaning that half of its submitted projects were privacy-related.

ETHTokyo placed second with 46.3%.

ETHDam reached 39.4%.

ZKHack Berlin reached 37.8%.

ETHLatam completed the top five with 33.3%.

What this means:

These events demonstrate what becomes possible when hackathons are explicitly focused on privacy or create an environment in which privacy innovation can thrive.

ETHBelgrade’s 50% rate—one privacy project for every two submissions—is remarkable and points to a community deeply committed to privacy values.

The geographic diversity of Belgrade, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Berlin and Latin America shows that privacy innovation is not limited to one region.

ZKHack Berlin’s position confirms that specialised technical events produce high privacy intensity.

These hackathons should be studied as models. What helped them succeed? How did they attract privacy-focused builders? Which resources and forms of mentorship did they provide? Reproducing those success factors could increase privacy participation throughout the ecosystem.

IN-PERSON VERSUS VIRTUAL EVENTS

The dataset includes 34 in-person events, which produced 3,355 submissions. Of these, 337 were privacy projects, resulting in a privacy rate of 10.04%.

The six virtual events generated 1,839 submissions, including 80 privacy projects, resulting in a privacy rate of 4.35%.

What this means:

In-person hackathons produced more than twice the privacy intensity of virtual events: 10.04% compared with 4.35%.

This 2.3-times difference suggests that privacy innovation benefits particularly strongly from direct interaction.

In-person events enable deeper mentorship, facilitate spontaneous collaboration and exchange, create stronger community relationships and offer immersive environments away from everyday distractions.

Privacy-focused work frequently demands advanced technical knowledge and benefits from direct expert guidance, making the in-person advantage particularly significant.

Although virtual events improve accessibility, organisations committed to advancing privacy innovation should prioritise the funding and organisation of in-person gatherings while finding other ways to preserve broad access.

UNDERSERVED CATEGORIES AND MARKET POTENTIAL

Social included 100 projects, with high and growing market potential but only a small gap, indicating reasonable current investment.

AI and Data Privacy included 51 projects. The category has very high market potential and a medium gap, suggesting moderate underinvestment.

Authentication and Identity included 26 projects, with high market potential and a medium gap.

More critical gaps appear in DAO and Governance, which received only 10 projects despite very high market potential and a large gap.

Education and Onboarding received only two projects despite high market potential and a very large gap.

Post-Quantum Cryptography received only one project despite high and emerging market potential, leaving a massive gap.

What this means:

The analysis identifies areas where the ecosystem is failing to allocate resources in proportion to their potential impact.

Social and AI and Data Privacy remain underfunded, but they are at least receiving meaningful attention. The most urgent problems concern governance, education and post-quantum cryptography.

DAO and Governance: 10 projects, very high potential and a large gap.

DAOs manage billions in treasury funds and make critical decisions. Private voting and confidential governance are essential, yet this area receives limited attention.

Education and Onboarding: two projects, high potential and a very large gap.

Privacy tools remain difficult to understand and use. Without educational resources and improved onboarding, privacy will struggle to achieve mainstream adoption. This may be the ecosystem’s most critical gap.

Post-Quantum Cryptography: one project, high potential and a massive gap.

As quantum computing advances, today’s cryptographic assumptions may eventually become vulnerable. The Ethereum ecosystem remains dangerously underprepared.

These gaps represent risks in the form of unaddressed vulnerabilities, as well as opportunities for high-impact investment. Funders and organisers should explicitly support these categories through dedicated tracks, prizes and specialist mentorship.

EARLY 2026 DEVELOPMENTS

The 2025 dataset remains a fixed historical snapshot. Early 2026 hackathons nevertheless indicate that experimentation continues to expand across private DeFi, stealth addresses, network privacy, threshold cryptography and autonomous agents.

ETHGlobal Cannes 2026

https://ethglobal.com/events/cannes2026

The event produced projects including Sneaky, which combines ENS with stealth addresses, and VEIL VPN, a pay-as-you-go VPN designed around verifiable no-logs guarantees. It also included distributed-key-generation experiments, private DeFi integrations and applications using Unlink.

Sneaky

https://ethglobal.com/showcase/sneaky-02vwq

VEIL VPN

https://ethglobal.com/showcase/veil-vpn-c643n

ETHGlobal New York 2026

https://ethglobal.com/events/newyork2026

The event included DarkMargin, a private perpetual-futures trading terminal, alongside private agentic-finance applications and policy-based transaction systems.

DarkMargin

https://ethglobal.com/showcase/darkmargin-etnqz

ETHPrague 2026

https://ethprague.com/hackathon/

ETHPrague introduced a Best Privacy by Design award, won by Lumen.

Lumen and other ETHPrague projects

https://ethprague2026.devfolio.co/projects

ETHMumbai 2026

https://www.ethmumbai.in/

The event also produced privacy projects including Penumbra, an onchain auction application.

Penumbra

https://devfolio.co/projects/penumbra-4c99

These projects should not be added to the 2025 totals without a complete and comparable 2026 dataset. They are included as early indicators of how the ecosystem is developing.

CONCLUSION

KEY FINDINGS

Privacy is becoming mainstream.

The data tells a clear story: privacy has moved from the margins to the mainstream of Ethereum development. With approximately 8% of all hackathon projects focusing on privacy and 31 of 40 events producing privacy use cases, builders are voting with their time and energy for a more private future.

Technology landscape

Zero-Knowledge proofs dominate as the primary privacy primitive, while AI-related privacy is emerging as a growth area.

Secondary primitives such as FHE and MPC remain underutilised, while post-quantum cryptography suffers from dangerous underinvestment.

Geographic insights

Europe leads in both the number and intensity of privacy use cases, although global builders also travel to European events.

Latin America is developing into a strong secondary hub, with privacy rates approaching those found in Europe.

In-person events dramatically outperform virtual formats, producing more than twice the privacy intensity.

Domain distribution

Finance and Social applications dominate current development, reflecting their maturity and clear use cases.

Critical gaps remain in Governance, Healthcare and particularly Education—areas with high potential impact but minimal current investment.

Event dynamics

Mid-sized, specialised events with focused themes and strong mentorship outperform mega-events in privacy intensity.

The strongest environment appears to be an in-person event with a prize pool below $200,000, a regional or technical focus and an intimate setting that enables deeper collaboration.

STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS

For funders:

Shift resources toward underserved, high-potential categories including DAO and Governance, Education and Onboarding, and Post-Quantum Cryptography.

Support mid-sized and specialised events instead of concentrating funding exclusively on mega-hackathons.

Prioritise in-person events, particularly in Europe and Latin America.

Create dedicated tracks and mentorship programmes for privacy innovation.

For organisers:

Study and reproduce the factors behind the success of ETHBelgrade, ETHTokyo, ETHDam and other high-performing events.

Emphasise in-person formats where practical.

Provide specialised mentorship from experienced privacy researchers and builders.

Create focused themes instead of relying solely on broad, general-purpose hackathons.

For builders:

Explore underserved categories in which potential impact substantially exceeds current investment.

Consider infrastructure and educational projects as well as end-user applications.

Experiment with underused primitives including FHE and MPC.

Begin preparing for post-quantum threats.

For the ecosystem:

Recognise that privacy is no longer a niche concern; it is mainstream and growing.

Invest in education and onboarding to make privacy accessible.

Build stronger bridges between privacy research and practical implementation.

Create sustainable career pathways for privacy-focused developers.

SUMMARY

The Ethereum Foundation’s pro-privacy position and internal organisational changes are helping privacy development move forward.

The announcement of its Privacy Cluster leadership, followed by the 2026 Ethereum Foundation Mandate, makes privacy an explicit foundational value alongside censorship resistance, open source and security.

Ethereum Foundation Privacy Cluster leadership announcement

https://blog.ethereum.org/2025/10/01/privacy-cluster-leads

The data reveals both considerable progress and critical gaps. Privacy has achieved mainstream status in Ethereum development, with hundreds of builders dedicating thousands of hours to privacy innovation.

The foundation is strong: robust Zero-Knowledge tooling, active communities across continents and growing awareness of privacy’s importance.

However, the ecosystem must confront important vulnerabilities: an education gap that obstructs wider adoption, a governance gap that leaves DAOs exposed and a post-quantum gap that threatens long-term security.

Success will require strategic resource allocation toward high-impact but underserved areas.

The vision is clear: a future in which privacy is not an afterthought but a default, and in which digital sovereignty, agency and dignity are available to everyone.

The 417 privacy projects identified across the 2025 hackathons represent concrete steps toward that future. With continued focus, strategic investment and community commitment, privacy can evolve from a technical feature into a fundamental right embedded in the infrastructure of the decentralised web.

USEFUL LINKS

Ethereum Privacy Ecosystem Map — download

https://files.web3privacy.info/share/ehUXsKnM

Ethereum Privacy Ecosystem research repository

https://github.com/web3privacy/research/tree/main/initiatives/ethereum-privacy-ecosystem

Ethereum-focused projects on the Web3Privacy Now Explorer

https://explorer.web3privacy.info/?ecosystems=ethereum

Web3Privacy Now

https://web3privacy.info/

Neocypherpunk Summit brought together more than 1,000 builders, researchers, technologists, journalists, lawyers, artists, and digital rights advocates to explore the future of privacy, open infrastructure, and public-interest technology. Hosted by Web3Privacy Now at Funkhaus Berlin during Berlin Blockchain Week, the Summit created a shared space where technical innovation met civic impact through talks, workshops, collaborative sessions, and community initiatives.

The program featured more than 100 speakers from leading organizations across privacy technology, open-source software, research, and digital rights, including the Human Rights Foundation, Brave, Open Collective, Nym, Flashbots, Free Software Foundation Europe, the Institute of Network Cultures, and OONI. Sessions by Jaya Klara Brekke (Nym), Geert Lovink (Institute of Network Cultures), Marina Markezic (European Union Classified Information), Arturo Filastò (OONI), Xavier Damman (Open Collective), and Ahmed Ghappour (Flashbots) explored topics ranging from internet censorship and digital commons to sustainable open-source funding, decentralized infrastructure, and the future of internet governance.

Across two stages and workshop spaces, participants explored topics ranging from cryptography, censorship resistance, and open protocols to ethical AI, digital rights, community governance, and resilient infrastructure. Beyond the conference program, the Summit fostered collaboration through practical workshops, research presentations, artistic exhibitions, publications, fundraising initiatives, and informal community spaces, strengthening connections across disciplines that rarely meet under one roof.

The Summit reflects our mission to connect communities working toward a more open, secure, and privacy-preserving digital future. By convening experts from technology, academia, civil society, and open-source ecosystems, the Summit continues to strengthen international collaboration and advance the development of public-interest privacy infrastructure.

Speakers

The Neocypherpunk Summit convened cryptographers, developers, researchers, lawyers, journalists, and digital rights advocates from across the Web3 and public-interest technology ecosystems. Speakers included Isabela Fernandes (Tor Project), and Xavier Damman (Open Collective), Cameron Colby Thompson (Human Rights Foundation), Sebastian Vogelsgang (EuroSky) or Riley Wong (Community Privacy Residency) alongside representatives from the Ethereum Foundation, Brave, Nym, OONI, and other leading organizations.

Organisations represented

Representatives from leading organizations across privacy technology, Web3 infrastructure, digital rights and open-source ecosystems contributed talks, workshops and discussions throughout the Summit. Ranging from Amnesty International, Data Workers Inquiry, Tor and Brave, through ZCash, Tactical Tech, Institute of Network Cultures and Dyne all the way to GrapheneOS, Filecoin, Kohaku and Walletbeat.

Contents of Neocypherpunk Summit

Whole program was covering many topics, from Cryptography as civic infrastracture and Resistance networks, through Digital autonomy, Open Protocols, all the way to Surveillance Economy, Ethical AI and everything in between.

Main focus wasn't on theoretical ideas, but rather on people and specific projects increasing their quality of life, protecting their privacy and their freedoms.

Starting with Neocypherpunk Library, featuring book recommendations from experts in the field, board game, art exposition from Moist Cryptography, across wallet privacy and research on Ethereum ecosystem, to supporting Tor fundraising campaign and building of censorship and government shutdown resilient infrastructure with RojavaNet.

While having options to decompress, join collective musical jamming sessions, or come to meet new people and discuss ideas in non-frontal setting in Solidarity room, talks were happening all across the Funkhaus and were divided into two stages and two workshop rooms.

Hauptbühne (Main Stage)

The Main Stage explored the Summit's broadest questions around privacy, digital infrastructure, AI, governance, and the future of open technologies. Through keynotes, panel discussions, and debates, it brought together leaders from technology, civil society, and academia to examine how privacy can become essential public infrastructure in an increasingly digital world.

Volksbühne (Second stage)

The second stage focused on emerging research, technical innovation, and critical discussions around privacy-preserving technologies. Sessions covered topics including messaging security, decentralized infrastructure, censorship resistance, digital identity, AI, and real-world implementations of privacy technologies, offering a space for deeper technical and policy-oriented conversations.

Department of Decentralization Workshop Room

The workshop room offered practical, hands-on learning designed to help participants strengthen their own privacy practices and technical skills. Workshop session started with open ended introduction to using GrapheneOS, high-level overview over some of its features, usability aspect and what's to come in the future. Followed up by showcase Free and Open Source Software options to corporate applications by Mario Havel from Prague's Bordel Hackerspace and Ethereum Foundation Protocol Support. Vijay Krishnavarshi, co-founder of Fileverse, offered a deep dive into the concept of Walkaway test and why it should be applied systematically when thinking about using or developing a new app or AI agents. Closing of the workshop of Department of Decentralization then was carried out by Zimt, cryptography lawyer and PhD researcher, about Fighting the right battles and Cypherpunk strategies for future.

Bread Coop Zone

The Bread Coop Zone provided a collaborative environment dedicated to experimentation, community organizing, and creative participation. This started with panel discussion on Democracy and Technology, followed by Bread Cooperative's showcase of Community Saving tools and so called Lightning rounds, composed of three short talks: Kohaku, Gas Killer, and Threshold Homomorphic Private Voting, covering privacy, cryptography, and decentralized coordination.

One of the topics discussed was also Cryptoleftism, presented by Cambridge University's PhD researcher Phakin (Kin) Nimmannorrawong, and workshop focused on Freedom Browser by Florian Glatz. Other topics and workshops covered Traditional Dream Factory, Creativity in the age of AI, presentation of book Decolonizing Money by Julio Linares, Economies at Crossroads: Latin America, Exploring our relationship with labor, chat with Laura Lotti and Andrea Leiter on Exocapitalism and From Robo-Ghandi to Cyber Martin Luther King.

Key Talks

20 years of the Tor Project: How an anonymity tool became public interest infrastructure by Isabela Fernandes

When Tor was founded in 2006, its mission sounded almost utopian: to advance human rights and freedoms by creating and deploying free, open-source anonymity and privacy technologies. Two decades later, the mission hasn't changed — but the world has. Internet shutdowns and systemic censorship affected more than half the world's population in 2025, as governments tighten their grip on the technology people rely on for a free, open internet. In this talk, Isabela Fernandes, Executive Director since 2018, traces how a tool built by volunteers became civic infrastructure, relied on by everyone from human rights advocates bypassing surveillance and censorship to ordinary people just accessing the open web — all while staying true to a model built on collaboration and community rather than competition.

The Adversary Is Watching: What Can We Learn From Communities Under Surveillance by Ramy Raoof Halim

A personal reflection on what privacy means in practice for people living under surveillance, censorship, conflict, and political repression. Ramy Raoof Halim shares his knowledge and experiences from working at Amnesty International and Open Technology Fund, organizations that support individuals and organizations with technology-focused projects to empower and protect people subject to digital authoritarianism. Drawing from over fifteen years of work supporting civil society organizations, journalists, activists, and communities at risk across Africa, Southwest Asia, and other regions, the talk will explore how privacy moves beyond an individual right and becomes a condition for participation, safety, dignity, and democratic life. Rather than focusing primarily on technical solutions, the keynote has examined privacy through lived experience and the consequences of its absence.

“From Platform Brutality to Streaming Alternatives” by Geert Lovink from Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Are you still stuck on the platform -- or ready to move beyond it? Yes, we are living through an accelerationist, techno-authoritarian phase of the internet, but that is precisely why we need to identify the exits already taking shape. We will map the cracks in the system: decentralized infrastructures, collective digital practices, and emergent cultures of autonomy that challenge the regime of “cloud rent” and passive usership. What would it mean to reclaim agency beyond endless swiping and prompting? How can we turn doomscrolling into coordination, and platforms into terrains we either reshape or abandon? This talk explores both practical and speculative strategies to overcome platform dependency, rebuild the digital commons, and develop a network culture that is once again participatory, resilient, and free.

Measuring the Internet to fight censorship by Arturo Filastò

Drawing upon our decade-long experience in measuring the internet around the world, we will show how the global censorship landscape has changed, and what are the new challenges and opportunities to use rich technical data to fight it. Arturo Filastò founded the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) in 2011 and serves as Executive Director and CTO. He previously worked for the Tor Project and created several free software projects that promote human rights, such as GlobaLeaks. He co-founded and serves as the Vice-President of the Hermes Center for Digital Human Rights. Arturo studied Mathematics and Computer Science at Università di Roma “La Sapienza”.

“Building the Stack: Self-Hosted, Mesh and Decentralized Infrastructure in Practice” by Adam Burns, Bradley Clark Royes, Liz Steininger, Calle

Uniting technical and cultural perspectives on stewarding p2p, self-hosted, and decentralized technologies, from a diverse panel of builders with expertise spanning "the stack". From the networked level (Adam's work with wireless networks at Freifunk) to infrastructure (Bradley's AI compute node and Liz's cryptographically secure storage) to protocol (Calle's OS bitcoin protocols Cashu and Bitchat), "the stack" designs itself toward secure self-sovereignty. This panel explores the unique challenges of each use case, and the tensions that can arise from contradictions in intent and implementation across levels of the stack – for example, accessibility and openness vs. privacy. Identifying and understanding these points of tension and interdependence through a systemic lens empowers us to build more resilient infrastructure, from tooling to hardware to the community of contributors to maintain it.

Publications

The Politics of Privacy: Bringing together leading thinkers across technology, philosophy, and law, this collection examines how human agency, democracy, and freedom can flourish in the algorithmic age.

Explore the Politics of Privacy

Vanishing Culture by Internet Archive: Explores the growing challenges of preserving digital knowledge and cultural heritage.

Read the Vanishing Culture Report

Decolonizing Money by Julio Linares: Examines how monetary systems shape power and inequality.

Get Decolonizing Money

Zine: Second volume of Web3Privacy Now fanzine, called Welcome to the Neo-cypherpunk Era.

Welcome to Neo-cypherpunk Era Zine

State of Decentralized Privacy 2026

For the occasion of the Neocypherpunk Summit, we made this report to map out the current state of decentralized privacy. In 2025, the privacy infrastructure of decentralized systems expanded significantly. More than 820 documented projects are now actively building privacy tooling across every major blockchain ecosystem. And yet the infrastructure is not reaching people. Only one in four privacy projects has privacy on by default. This report focuses on that tension.

Read the State of Decentralized Privacy Report

Fundraising

Tor Project Internet Freedom fundraiser.

Internet Freedom Fundraiser

Internet Archive fundraiser.

Internet Archive Fundraiser

Team

So thank you all. Namely, in no particular order: Beth, Dani, Max, Bara, Alisher, Volodymyr, Jacob, Fritz, Robert, Coinmandeer, Fuji, Wesley, Becca, Gill, Peter, Cori, Josh, Martin, Raul, Kate, Susanna, Kassandra, Civil, Jensei, Teresa, Ilya, Henriette, PG, BabyBit, Passender, David, Ben, Lucilia, Koss, Migle, Mina, Mykola, Chris, and countless unnamed helpers.

Donate

Do you want decentralised privacy to grow? Consider supporting us from sponsorship to annual membership.

Support Web3Privacy on Tally

• 12 projects

• 150 contributors

• Activities from Berlin to Mumbai

Events

stats

• 26 events

• 2 flagship events: Cypherpunk Congress in Mumbai, Neo-cypherpunk Summit in Berlin

• 1300 people coordinated from speakers to visitors

• 13 global meetups activating from Rio to Mumbai

Meetups

Cluj https://luma.com/zttuflbr
contributors: Robert

Rome https://luma.com/q1sdbqf3
contributors: PG, Babybit

Prague https://luma.com/98pzi0jh
contributors: Coinmandeer, Max, Robert, Mykola

Summit

Neo-cypherpunk Summit, Berlin
1000 visitors, 100 speakers, 70 organisations from Tor to GrapheneOS - a celebration of freedom, solidarity and decentralisation of power in a stunning Funkhaus venue.

web https://s26ber.web3privacy.info
videos: (first stage): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivVeZI9ne1g&list=PLSsVHWrO8Yh3DAloVapXFlNfZDZ4_fMUS
photos: https://web3privacy.info/events/s26ber

Cypherpunk Congress 3, Mumbai: https://luma.com/spsnos9t
contributors: Adtiya, Becca, Mykola, Sam Da Silva, w3dada⁩

1200 registrations! Continuous work on location, local team, global south representation, curatorial concept, partnerships.

Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress #3

2 Nov 2026 - The Ancestral Fork - a gathering focused on human rights, privacy, and digital autonomy. It explores how inherited systems shape our digital choices in the AI Age. Two previous Congresses in Bangkok & Buenos Aires made a change: 7000 people, 100 speakers, 50 partners, visionaries from whistleblowers like Chelsea Manning & or Vitalik Buterin.

https://congress.web3privacy.info

Third party

• Plural events (across the world) https://www.radicalxchange.org/updates/announcements/2026-04-host-a-plural-event/
  contributors: PG, Nikoline, Kris Is

  

  Web3Privacy Now

  @web3privacy

  “Solidarity is not an act of charity, but mutual aid between forces fighting for the same objective”, - Noam Chomsky.
  
  Happy to see people gathering, sharing, co-creating together around deliberate democracy, practical privacy and neo-cypherpunk ethos from Rio to Lisbon.

  

  11

  8:42 AM • May 15, 2026

  
  

• Road to Devcon, Mumbai https://luma.com/d0qj66pe
  contributors: Adtiya

  

  Pree

  @preegee

  Scenes from @ethmumbai MIP-16 meetup with @web3privacy

  

  33

  9:28 AM • Jun 20, 2026

  
  

• Re:publica, Berlin (participating) https://re-publica.com/en
  contributors: Mykola
  

• ETHPrague (judging, hacking) https://ethprague.com/
  contributors: Mykola, Jensei

  

  Web3Privacy Now

  @web3privacy

  Hackathons are cultural reflections.
  
  @EthPrague "Ethereum Core" winner any᭙ꪖ᥅ꫀ: "there is no bridge, i love you" by @jensei_ & @magentoooo represents not just commitment to decentralisation, but to CROPS principles (censorship resistance, open-source, privacy & security),

  

  30

  3:28 PM • May 11, 2026

• Network School https://ns.com
  contributors: Peter
  

• AI x Web3 School https://aiweb3.school
  contributors: Peter

Art

• Pixel prize winner @ Summit https://justopensource.io/the-pixel-prize

Web3Privacy Now

@web3privacy

Moist Cryptography

NeoCypherpunk Summit | Berlin 2026

12

3:17 PM • Jun 18, 2026

• Plural monolith by Swarm, DarkFi, WomenXprivacy @ Summit

Ethereum Swarm

@ethswarm

The Plural Monolith began as an experiment in collective livecoding.

At @Web3privacy Summit, it became a working system: shared samples, live code, projected visuals, and an archive returning to Swarm.

Join us today at Web3 Summit · Funkhaus · Berlin

13

7:58 AM • Jun 18, 2026

Research

Decentralised privacy mapping https://new.web3privacy.info/projects/state-of-decentralized-privacy-report
contributors: Jensei, Talia, Mykola

COMMS

Campaigns

Tor ecosystem fundraising - helping freedom ecosystem from browsers to internet censorship measurements to fundraise in crypto: https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy/tor-ecosystem-funding-campaign-case-study
contributors: Babybit, Peter, Mykola

Empowering the Tor Ecosystem: A Case Study in Funding Digital Freedom

Week in Privacy

Jun 23, 2026

About campaign: A coalition of privacy, internet freedom, cryptocurrency and open-source ecosystems, led by the Tor Project and Funding the Commons, today announced a new participatory funding campaig...

0 collected

Collect

Publishing

• Book https://web3privacynow.metalabel.com/politicsofprivacy
  contributors: Piergiorgio Catti De Gasperi, Martina Francesca Cavalot, Mariquita de Boissière, Audrey Tang, Primavera De Filippi, Joachim Schwerin, David Chaum, Denis Jaromil Roio, Felix Beer, Judith De Boer, Naomi Brockwell, Glen Weyl

  Available at Bookstores in Berlin, Rome, Barcelona
  

• Zine https://www.cypherpunkzine.wtf
  contributors: vovo, Max, Mykola

Media

videos - 42 https://www.youtube.com/@Web3PrivacyNow

• EthCC interviews

• Parallel Society interviews

• Tor campaign

• Neo-cypherpunk Summit

• Builder pack promo

• Who is neo cypherpunk?

• 3 years of web3privacy now

• Favorite privacy tools by…

contributors: Babybit, Peter, Max, Mykola

Socials

• Instagram launch https://www.instagram.com/web3privacy_now/

• Book recommendations

  

contributors: PG, max, Peter, Coinmandeer, Mykola

Academy

• d/acc crash course

  d/acc crash course

  Understand d/acc under 15 min

  https://academy.web3privacy.info

  

• 20 interviews, 170+ content pieces

• Network school partnership (study group on Privacy 101 course + public talk to students)

• EthPanda collab. Integration of Academy materials into educational program for 1000+ Chinese developers

• Academy website update

contributors !Nats, Peter

WEB

Website https://web3privacy.info
contributors: Coinmandeer, PG, Mykola

Anonymizer anonymizer.web3privacy.info
contributors: Coinmandeer

Builder pack https://web3privacy.info/projects/hackathon-pack
contributors: Jensei, Babybit

Secure messaging comparison https://messengers-rating.netlify.app
contributors: Iva, Mykola

Stacks https://stacks.web3privacy.info/

• 5 submissions: Gnukeith x Brave, Matthias x Free Software Foundation Europe, Polymutex x Walletbeat

contributors: Max, Mykola

FUNDING

Public Goods

• SEA public goods Round x Neo-cypherpunk Summit

contributors: Mykola

Partnerships

• Sovright https://sovright.com

• Beldex https://beldex.io

• Zcash

contributors: PG, Mykola

CONTRIBUTORS

Hundreds of people from speakers to volunteers contributed to Web3Privacy now ecosystem from Berlin to Mumbai.

Speakers

• 120 speakers from 50 countries

Volunteers

• 60 people from 20 countries (Berlin, Prague, Rome, Cluj)

Community partners

Free Software Foundation Europe
Internet Archive Europe
Tor Project
Ethereum Everywhere
Departmenrt of Decentralisation
Bread Coop
Urban Privacy

RadicalXChange
Hubs Network
Logos

Department of Decentralization

@dod_berlin

Up next: FOSSify yourself. @TMIYChao of @ethereumfndn covers free operating systems, secure comms and browsing, hardware picks and how you can handle your crypto or validators the cypherpunk way. Come and share your favourite FOSS tools

27

10:19 AM • Jun 14, 2026

OTHER

• Newsletter https://news.web3privacy.info

• Asset guide

• Privacy poly board game update

• Encrypted mempool coalition support: https://www.encryptedmempool.org

• Merch. Produced 50+ unique types of merch. Distributed more than 1000 items

Do you want decentralised privacy to grow? Consider supporting us from sponsorship to annual membership: https://tally.so/r/mVxvgN

Donate | Web3Privacy Now

Support the Web3Privacy Now mission to defend digital freedom through research, education, and community work.

https://web3privacy.info

We built a lot of privacy tech. Now for the hard part.

That's the short version of the State of Decentralized Privacy 2026, the edition of the report we launched at the first Neocypherpunk Summit at Funkhaus Berlin on June 14. We mapped the decentralized privacy landscape with 826 projects, every major ecosystem, onchain data, wallet audits, a hands-on UX audit. We went looking for one answer: does any of this actually work for the people who need it?

Here's what we found, in six signals.

1. Privacy already arrived but it’s not evenly distributed.

This isn't a "someday" technology anymore. Over $5 billion has moved through RAILGUN since launch. The Ethereum Foundation stood up a 47-person privacy team and shipped its first SDK. Zero-knowledge tooling that used to require a full cryptography team now ships from two-person wallet startups. The infrastructure is here, it's real, and it's growing fast.

The problem is everything around the infrastructure.

2. Privacy is switched `off` by default?!

Only 24% of active privacy projects have privacy on by default. More than half don't even specify. And when we checked the wallets people actually use, like MetaMask, Rainbow, Phantom, Rabby, and Zerion the score was brutal: 0 out of 21 Ethereum wallets (tracked by Walletbeat) passed the most basic privacy test: can you conduct a private `tokenTransfer` transaction? Not one.

It seems like the strongest privacy tools in existence are, with few exceptions, unusable by anyone who hasn't already decided to learn them.

3. Change one default, triple the result.

Here's the most hopeful number in the report. Between early 2024 and 2026, the share of Zcash held in shielded (private) addresses went from 8% to roughly 30%, nearly fourfold. The cryptography didn't change. One thing changed: the Zodl (fka Zashi) wallet made shielded the default. Previous price rallies left shielded supply flat. This time it climbed. That's not speculation, that's people actually using privacy because someone finally made it the easy path.

4. Your stablecoin is a political statement.

This is our favourite finding. We looked at what stablecoins people choose inside privacy protocols, and a perfect gradient appeared. Tornado Cash, no screening: 99% DAI, 0.2% USDC. Privacy Pools with compliance screening: 81% USDC. DAI can't be frozen by anyone. USDC can be frozen by Circle on request.

Nobody announced this. No governance vote, no manifesto. Users simply sorted themselves into compliance tiers with their wallets. The stablecoin you choose is your compliance statement, and the market made that choice visible without anyone intending to.

5. The problem isn't the cryptography. It's the on-ramp, the cookie, and the business model.

Onchain privacy protects what happens inside the blockchain. But most people get their funds from a KYC'd exchange, which means their identity is logged before their first private transaction. The on-ramp is the weakest link.

Then there's offchain leakage. When your wallet hands your address to a website, that address can land in a Google Analytics dashboard and follow you across the web. This is the exact third-party-cookie problem privacy advocates spent twenty years fighting, reborn now onchain!

And underneath it all: economics. Wallets earn fees from swaps, bridges, and perps. Privacy protocols don't pay wallets to turn privacy on. So wallets don't.

Privacy ends up as a privilege rather than a default capability of the network. That's not a technical failure. It's an economic design choice with a technical consequence, and it won't be solved by cryptography alone.

6. A four-year-old bug, found the day before the Neocypherpunk Summit.

Only 7.8% of active privacy projects have ever had an independent security audit. To see why that matters: on June 5 (one day before our summit) a soundness vulnerability was disclosed in Zcash's Orchard circuit. It had been live since 2022. Four years. In one of the most scrutinised cryptographic systems in the entire ecosystem. (Patched before disclosure, no exploit, no funds lost, but the point stands.)

If a four-year flaw can hide there, what's hiding in the 92.2% with no audit at all?

The takeaway

The infrastructure exists. The standards do not. The defaults are wrong. These are solvable problems, if the people building the tools, the people writing the standards, and the people who need the protection are in the same room.

That's exactly why we held the Neocypherpunk Summit, and exactly what this report is for. Privacy isn't a feature waiting to be shipped. It already arrived. Now we make sure it reaches everyone, not just the people who know to ask for it.

Without privacy there is no democracy.

Contributors:

jensei - research | talia - design | mykola siuisko - facilitation

The Neocypherpunk Summit edition is available now. A delivery of the fuller v2 with deeper UX testing, case studies, and expanded data is scheduled for launch at the Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress (November, 2026 in Mumbai, India).

Do you have data or findings to contribute? Reach us at 
https://web3privacy.info/projects/state-of-decentralized-privacy-report → Feedback.

A coalition of privacy, internet freedom, cryptocurrency and open-source ecosystems, led by the Tor Project and Funding the Commons, today announced a new participatory funding campaign designed to support critical digital infrastructure at a moment of systemic funding instability: https://internetfreedom.torproject.org

projects participated in the campaign

Promo videos produced by Web3Privacy now

Sometimes Freedom Looks Like a Message Arriving | the Tor Project + Funding the Commons pwrd by W3PN

Sometimes Freedom Cant Be Expressed | the Tor Project + Funding the Commons pwrd by W3PN

Sometimes Freedom Looks Like Telling the Truth | the Tor Project + Funding the Commons by W3PN

Kurt Opsahl [ex-EFF, Filecoin Foundation]

Naomi Brockwell [NBTV, Ludlow Institute]

Roger Dingledine x Tor

Eva Galperin, Director of Cybersecurity at Electronic Frontier Foundation

Cooper Quintin x Senior Staff Technologist, EFF & Founding Board Member of OpenArchive

OpenArchive is a non-profit working with human rights defenders, journalists, and archivists worldwide to build easy-to-use, FLOSS mobile tools and resources to safeguard eyewitness media:: https://www.open-archive.org

Maria Xynou x Director of Strategic Engagement in the Open Observatory of Network Interference

The Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) - a nonprofit organization that provides free software tools and open data to empower the public to monitor and respond to internet censorship worldwide: https://ooni.org

Nathan Freitas x Guardian Project

Onion Browser is the Tor-endorsed free, open-source anti-censorship browser for Apple's iOS:
https://onionbrowser.com
https://guardianproject.info

Dr. Suelette Dreyfus & Morgan x Ricochet Refresh

Ricochet Refresh - Metadata-resistant instant messaging over Tor
https://www.ricochetrefresh.net

Printed presence of the campaign at Neo-cypherpunk Summit event we produced in Berlin: https://s26ber.web3privacy.info

Team

• Creative - Peter Farbey

• Production - Babybit (Federico Marchi)

• Poster - Ben

• Facilitation - Mykola Siusko

Our team would love to thanks Pavol from Tor, all participated projects teams, Kurt, Roger, Eva, Naomi for contributing to the cause. And every person & organisation that donated.

Hundreds of people are contributing to Web3Privacy now on a weekly basis: outreaching to partners like Access Now, speakers from Amnesty International, wonderful feminist NGOs in Mumbai, & more.

• 14 projects

• 5 new Members

• 50 contributors

• Activities from Mumbai to Cannes

Events

stats

• 25 events

• 2 flagship events: Cypherpunk Congress in Mumbai, Neo-cypherpunk Summit in Berlin

• 1000 people coordinated from speakers to visitors

• 13 global meetups activating from Rio to Mumbai
  

• Offsite
  We gathered in Barcelona to plan our activities in 2026, reflect on great 2025 achievements, and just be next to each other.

Web3Privacy Now

@web3privacy

3D-printing time x web3privacy now swag

45

14:44 • 25 Jan 2026

Web3Privacy Now

@web3privacy

Connecting with the roots: @BabyBitProd presenting an original Cypherpunk-focused Wired magazine from early 90th at our offsite.

20

18:28 • 24 Jan 2026

• Occupy EthCC https://luma.com/l3hxaaii - 100 people
  
  Our informal gathering in Cannes - uniting activists, developers, organisers, and community builders from 40 countries in a public space. No keynote speeches, less transactional relations. Care towards each other.
  
  contributors: Migle, Nats, Peter

  

• Mumbai meetup https://luma.com/go5h5mod
  50 people
  
  Our first meetup as the Road to Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress. We gathered tech enthusiasts in Mumbai, explored post-ETHMumbai hackathon projects, connected with local community.
  
  contributors: Adtiya, Chandresh, Mykola

• Cypherpunk Retreat winter showcase (online)
  
  Cypherpunk Fellows working on stablecoin privacy, distributed MLS or Cashu integration into AT Protocol presented their progress. These fellows were selected at Cypherpunk Retreat we made with Protocol Labs in 2025: http://cypherpunk.camp

  

third-party

• Fosdem https://fosdem.org/2026/

• Monerotopia https://monerotopia.com

  

• Dweb camp @ c-base https://tix.dod.ngo/dwebcamp/c-base-meetup/

Web3Privacy Now

@web3privacy

Cooking @GETDWeb with @brewster_kahle from @internetarchive at @cbase

10

19:58 • 28 Feb 2026

• Parallel Society https://ps.logos.co
  

  

• ETH Mumbai https://www.ethmumbai.in

• PG @ Italian Schools

• Zcomm

  

• Hubs network x RadicalXChange

  

forthcoming

• Rome meetup https://luma.com/q1sdbqf3

Web3Privacy Now

@web3privacy

Cooking something special next to @IACReurocrypt: Web3Privacy Rome meetup focused on applied cryptography & activism.

The first speakers:

@jaromil x @DyneOrg - cryptographer & "godfather of European anarchist hacking movement", active player at European encryption scene

38

21:13 • 7 Apr 2026

• Prague meetup https://luma.com/98pzi0jh

• Neo-Cypherpunk Summit in Berlin
  contributors: Beth, Dani, Teresa, PG, Mykola, Coinmandeer, Ona

  Neocypherpunk Summit #1

  14 Jun 2026 - 2025 was an exceptional year: 10000 people, 130 speakers from Eva Galperin (EFF) to Roger Dingledine (Tor) speaking. We decided to make a sequel and strengthen Cypherpunk activism, culture and actions.

  https://s26ber.web3privacy.info

  

RSVP: https://luma.com/f47k4xnd

• Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress in Mumbai
  contributors: Ben, Mykola, Adtiya, Kyle, Kurt

  

  Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress #3

  2 Nov 2026 - The Ancestral Fork - a gathering focused on human rights, privacy, and digital autonomy. It explores how inherited systems shape our digital choices in the AI Age. Two previous Congresses in Bangkok & Buenos Aires made a change: 7000 people, 100 speakers, 50 partners, visionaries from whistleblowers like Chelsea Manning & or Vitalik Buterin.

  https://congress.web3privacy.info

  

  RSVP: https://luma.com/spsnos9t

Explorer https://explorer.web3privacy.info
Privacy dashboard featuring 800+ projects promising decentralised privacy.

contributors: Humbaba, Mykola, Iva, Ben West, Ant

• 820 projects (+30)

• Iva's Privacy Dashboard
  Agentic aggregator turning Explorer open-data into measurable dashboard - helpful tool for researchers, builders and startupers exploring state of decentralised privacy from github readiness to category-vs-category.

  Web3Privacy Explorer

  125 projects discovered by AI pipeline - note the data gaps below

  https://research-agents-dashboard.onrender.com

  

• Cypherpunk Opsec toolkit by Ben West cypherpunk-research.monkeyflower.ca
  
  Operational security agentic kit build on top of Explorer open-data. Helping individuals and organisations apply complex analytics around each project promising privacy in web3.

  

  Web3Privacy Now

  @web3privacy

  Cypherpunk toolkit research is here to stay!
  
  Wonderful exploration on pro-cypherpunk OSINT, privacy projects, web3 ecosystem by @BenWest
  
  Its goal is to help people navigate complexity of privacy landscape & ensure projects provide legitimate promises.
  
  beta:

  

  45

  14:20 • 3 Mar 2026

Research

• Ethereum Privacy Ecosystem report https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy/ethereum-privacy-ecosystem-mapping
  
  contributors: Jensei, Max, Mykola, Coinmandeer
  
  The most extensive research shaping the way the Ethereum privacy ecosystem has been build. Featuring hundreds of projects, communities, events, and R&D.

  

• Ethereum Privacy X thread
  https://x.com/ethereum/status/2032138245048524982

  

Media

contributors: Babybit, Peter, Max, Mykola, PG, vovo

1. Videos

   3 years of Privacy Activism video https://x.com/web3privacy/status/2023808846859280582

   

   25 shorts https://www.youtube.com/@Web3PrivacyNow/shorts

   

   20 interviews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRfhnDS-WG4 (20% uploaded, 80% - post-production)

Interviewed: Juan Benet x Protocol Labs, Harry Halpin x Nym, Jordi Baylina x Zisk, Seth for Privacy x Cake Wallet, Pavel Zoness x Tor Project, Amirr Taaki x DarkFi, Ahmed Ghappour x Flashbots, Rachel-Rose O'Leary x DarkFi & many others.

• Juan Benet x Protocol Labs

  

• "From Privacy Tools to Parallel Societies: The Neo-Cypherpunk Strategy": Jarrad Hope x Logos

  

• Privacy Is Not Protection. It’s a Weapon for Freedom // Amir Taaki (DarkFi): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1z756gXAfY

• Privacy Isn’t a Feature - It’s a System // Harry Halpin (Nym): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhANsaWzNZw

• Privacy Is a Daily Act - Not Just a Tool // Pavel Zoneff (Tor Project)

  

• Privacy Isn’t Defense - It’s How We Build New Worlds // Rachel-Rose O’Leary (DarkFi):

  

Ethereum Privacy Stack lightning talks (3)

• Post Quantum Compute by Stefano&Fabrizio (NeverLocal)

  

• Private Proof of Burn by Shahriar (WORM): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyXIB76WJ1I

• Policy as Critical Infrastructure for Privacy by Nikhil Raghuveera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FIxhc1Lp2A
  

2. Book: The politics of Privacy
   In June, the world will see our first book published with legendary cryptographer David Chaum or privacy influencer Naomi Brockwell.
   
   With contributions from Primavera de Filippi, David Chaum, Naomi Brockwell, Judith De Boer, Denis "Jaromil" Rojo, Audrey Tang, Glen Weyl etc.

   

   Editor, designer, printing facility covered.
   
   contributor: PG

3. Zine
   contributor: vovo

   

Portal
We are building "media" - one-stop-shop for all decentralised privacy News, Vacancies, Projects, Events, Research and Education.

contributor: Coinmandeer, Max

Academy
contributors: Peter, Oskarth, Kassandra, Coinmandeer

• Oskarth x IPTF/EF: ZK for non-tech 101 https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/zk-for-not-tech-by-oskarth

  

• Conscious Engineering with Kassandra (Ethereum Foundation, Kohaku): https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/conscious-engineering-101

  

• web update https://academy.web3privacy.info

Web3 Privacy Academy - Free Education on Privacy, Freedom & Digital Rights

Web3 Privacy Academy is a free, open educational platform exploring privacy, decentralization, and digital rights through courses, interviews, and research.

https://academy.web3privacy.info

Privacy Awards
For the three years we are running annual awards poll asking experts share their favourite projects, news, doxxers, innovations.

contributor: Mykola, Max + 80 experts from Nym to Ethereum Foundation

• Winners https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy/privacy-awards-2025-the-winners

Web3Privacy Now

@web3privacy

News of the Year 2025

#1 — @TornadoCash Legal Saga
A defining case for developer liability and open-source neutrality.

#2 — EU Chat Control
Mandatory scanning proposals that ignited encryption resistance in Europe.

#3 — @SamouraiWallet Case
Renewed questions about

6

15:39 • 2 Mar 2026

• Best Exciting Innovation longlist https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy/privacy-awards-2025-best-exciting-innovations-longlist

• Best News longlist https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy/privacy-awards-2025-best-news-—-longlist

• Event of the year https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy/privacy-awards-2025-event-of-the-year

• Doxxer longlist

Membership
Model helping us to stay free and impactful - annual support from global organisations.

New members: Logos, Protocol Labs, Zcash, Radicle, Swarm

Web3Privacy Now

@web3privacy

Happy to see alignment across the industry.

Mature organisations working on critical decentralised infrastructure, research and economy helping us perform impactful activism.

Thank you, @Logos_network, @protocollabs, @ethswarm, @Zcash

22

20:24 • 31 Mar 2026

Public Goods

• GCC Round - participating in the latest round building bridges between global & Chinese communities.

gccofficial

@GCCofCommons

x.com/i/article/2030…

16

12:45 • 9 Mar 2026

• Bordel donation
  We donated to new European hacklab being crafted in Prague. Exceptional educational place fostering hacktivist culture, educating youth, and spreading FOSS.

  

Volunteers
Launched onboarding processes turning volunteers into active Web3Privacy now contributors.

contributors: Robert, Alisher

• 166 total submissions https://tally.so/r/3lLqKo

• 30 participants in a volunteer hub

Stacks https://stacks.web3privacy.info
Micro-projects helping people explore new software & hardware that experts are using.

contributors: ant, max, Mykola

• 14 submissions: Sooraj Sathyanarayanan x Brave, Mario Havel x Ethereum Foundation, Bob Summerwill x Strato, Andy Guzman x Privacy Stewards of Ethereum, cheeky-gorilla x Protocol Guild, Mikerah x HashCloak, polymutex x walletbeat, Pol Lanski x Dappnode etc

Other

• New website (ongoing) https://new.web3privacy.info

• Annual Report

  

  Annual report by Web3Privacy now

  Week in Privacy

  Jan 8, 2026

  United in privacy is our approach to alignment between different players, from the Tor Project to the Ethereum Foundation. Events like Cypherpunk Congress #2 with speakers from Electronic Frontier Fou...

  0 supporters

  Support

Dyne.org newsletter https://x.com/web3privacy/status/2013629810317369682

• Cypherpunk Retreat case study

  

  Cypherpunk Retreat - Case study

  Week in Privacy

  Mar 16, 2026

  IntroductionWith growing regulatory pressures, centralised control over communication and financial systems, and the rapid evolution of AI and surveillance technologies, we are at a crossroads.The com...

  0 collected

  Collect

• Newsletter

  Week in the Privacy News

  Weekly newsletter with round-up of the most important news happening around privacy in Web3.

  https://news.web3privacy.info

  

• Asset guide - crafting asset "hub" for external contributors who want to make Web3Privacy now meetups around the world.

• Decentralised voices interview

  

  Decentralized Voices 🎙️❤️‍🔥

  @decent_voices

  5 episodes of Season 3 are live! Don't miss them
  
  Is privacy a human right or a cypherpunk dream? Answers @nicksvyaznoy, founder of @web3privacy.
  
  @DariaStrategy and Mykola get into the meaning of privacy: not the "big brother is watching you" paranoia, but as a form of

  11

  15:52 • 13 Apr 2026

• Experimenting with our Instagram https://www.instagram.com/web3privacy_now/

• Fostering socials: Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/web3privacy.info, X https://x.com/web3privacy, LinkedIn as the place to connect with traditional human rights organisations https://www.linkedin.com/company/web3privacynow, maintaining Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/@web3privacynow

Q1 2026 was full of events, web-development, partnerships, foss and joy of activism from Mumbai to Rome. Onwards!

With growing regulatory pressures, centralised control over communication and financial systems, and the rapid evolution of AI and surveillance technologies, we are at a crossroads.

The coming years represent one of our last windows to build and use secure and privacy-preserving technologies before the current paradigm solidifies for a decade or more. The challenge is clear: secure global communications cannot depend on incremental adoption by existing systems. We need a fundamental shift in internet infrastructure, developed and deployed by builders who prioritize privacy and censorship resistance at the protocol level.

This led Web3Privacy Now and Protocol Labs to bring together leading builders, researchers, and advocates working across privacy infrastructure to identify the most pressing challenges, define the most impactful levers of influence, and double down on efforts to address them. Discussions and reflections from the gathering were later documented and shared across the ecosystem, including participant reports and ecosystem summaries such as Threads from the Cypherpunk Retreat and community reflections shared by participants and partner organizations Web3Privacy and Protocol Labs.

Event Overview

The Cypherpunk Retreat was an invite-only, hands-on gathering that brought together leading builders and front-line organizers in digital privacy. Designed to foster deep collaboration and activate field-building, the retreat focused on aligning technical roadmaps, driving coordination, and accelerating the development of a more private and resilient internet.

Over the course of 40+ sessions, change makers from different realms came together to co-create tangible solutions.

The outcomes of these interactions are poised to resonate well beyond the retreat: through new partnerships, shared standards, joint projects, and a strengthened foundation for long-term collaboration.

100 active participants from across human rights orgs, web3 protocols, ranging from privacy-focused Brave, through universities like Oxford and Harvard, Ethereum Foundation and all the way to people from Internet Archive and Tor.

Participants

The Cypherpunk Retreat brought together a diverse group spanning academia, protocol development, privacy engineering, and digital rights advocacy. Researchers such as Fazl Barez (Oxford University) joined protocol builders including Juan Benet (Protocol Labs), Sebastian Bürgel (Gnosis), and Theo Beutel (Ethereum Foundation) to exchange ideas on decentralized infrastructure and privacy-preserving systems. Privacy engineers and ecosystem builders such as Amit Chaudhary (Veilnyx), Juan Caballero (Learning Proof), Kyle Den Hartog (Brave), and Remi Gai (Inco) contributed perspectives from applied cryptography and secure systems development. The retreat also included civil society and research voices such as Rudy Fraser (BlackSky / Harvard Berkman Klein Center) and Cade Diehm (World Ethical Data), alongside contributors like Tessa Brown (Germ Network) and Robin Berjon (IPFS Foundation), collectively exploring solutions for secure communication, decentralized identity, confidential compute, and resilient infrastructure.

Participating organisations

Retreat Design & Methodology

The objective of the retreat’s participatory programming format was to create space for actionable connection and alliances between the experts and leaders present at the retreat.

This was conducted by submission of workshop session proposals ahead of the retreat, as well as on whiteboards during the first evening. These were ranked for interest with dot-voting, surfacing which topics to cover and clustering these into groups.

Over the course of the second and third days of the retreat, participants broke into small groups and covered a total of 32 sessions, of an hour each.

Take a look at short video shot at Cypherpunk Retreat, highlighting the importance of people collaborating

Focus Categories

Secure communications protocols

Discussions in this category examined how decentralized communication systems can remain secure, private, and resilient in environments where censorship and surveillance are increasingly common. Participants analyzed the structural limitations of existing anonymity and messaging networks, including the trade-offs between latency, usability, and strong privacy guarantees. Systems such as Tor, mixnets, and peer-to-peer overlays were discussed alongside real-world examples of governments blocking privacy-preserving communication tools.

The workshops also explored emerging cryptographic approaches that could enable verifiable and censorship-resistant information infrastructure. Concepts such as remote-attested TLS and zkTLS were discussed as ways to allow users to verify the authenticity of web content without relying on centralized trust assumptions. Participants examined architectures where verified servers could download, sign, and redistribute websites, enabling peer-to-peer sharing of cached content in censored environments. Discussions also explored emerging tools for censorship-resistant publishing such as Onion Press and related work on privacy-preserving information access through the Private Retrieval Fund initiative.

Decentralized Identity and Permissionless Access

Workshops in this category explored how decentralized identity systems can enable users to maintain control over their digital identity and data. Participants examined architectures built around decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and personal data servers, where users manage their identity through cryptographic keys while storing and controlling their data independently from centralized platforms. These systems rely on verifiable data structures that allow identities and content to move across applications while maintaining integrity and provenance.

The discussions also addressed governance and moderation challenges within decentralized ecosystems. Participants explored layered moderation models involving relays, annotation layers, and proxies that allow communities to shape norms without centralizing control over user data. Interoperability and testing frameworks were highlighted as critical components for enabling decentralized identity systems to operate across platforms and regulatory environments. Related discussions around decentralized messaging and identity infrastructure were reflected in initiatives such as the Germ Cypherpunk Fellowship supporting open-source development of Messaging Layer Security (MLS).

Confidential Transactions and Compute

This category focused on how privacy-preserving technologies can enable secure data processing and financial transactions without exposing sensitive information. Participants compared several approaches to confidential computation, including trusted execution environments, multi-party computation, fully homomorphic encryption, zero-knowledge proofs, and differential privacy. While each technique offers valuable protections, discussions emphasized that no single method currently provides complete confidentiality on its own.

The workshops highlighted the need for systems that provide end-to-end confidentiality across both data storage and computation layers. Participants examined mechanisms such as attestations and verification frameworks that could allow systems to prove that sensitive computations were performed securely and privately. Discussions also highlighted emerging coordination mechanisms supporting research and development in privacy infrastructure, including initiatives such as the Private Retrieval Fund.

Resilient and censorship-resistant Infrastructure

Participants explored how decentralized technologies can operate in environments where internet connectivity, electricity, or access to global infrastructure cannot be assumed. Workshops examined systems designed for fragile communities where connectivity is intermittent or censored, emphasizing tools capable of operating offline or through delayed synchronization.

Examples included systems combining hardware wallets with Chaumian e-cash protocols to enable offline transactions within local communities. Local mints can maintain community ledgers that later synchronize with blockchain infrastructure once connectivity is restored. Participants also discussed grassroots communication technologies such as mesh networks, Bluetooth messaging, and radio-based systems that allow peer-to-peer interaction without relying on centralized internet infrastructure. Experimental infrastructure projects such as Onion Press were discussed as examples of how decentralized tools could enable censorship-resistant hosting and distribution of information.

Narrative, Policy and Defense

Beyond technical infrastructure, the retreat also addressed the broader political and social context in which decentralized technologies operate. Participants explored how democratic decision-making can adapt to a digital environment marked by declining trust in institutions and increasing political polarization. Discussions examined whether civic participation systems should rely on verified identity or whether anonymity can coexist with legitimate governance processes.

Case studies from countries experimenting with digital civic participation were discussed to illustrate how technology might support more inclusive and participatory governance. However, participants emphasized that technology alone cannot restore democratic processes; effective systems must also support deliberation, debate, and collective decision-making within communities. A broader overview of these discussions and emerging collaborations is documented in the Protocol Labs recap of the Cypherpunk Retreat.

Participants from Tor, Nym, Taceo, Web3Privacy now, Mask brainstorming

Target Outcomes

Interop Alignment
Protocol teams compared architectures and approaches across communication, identity, and privacy infrastructure.

These discussions clarified shared assumptions and surfaced opportunities for interoperability and coordination across projects.

New Workstreams Identified
Workshops revealed high-leverage technical gaps across confidential compute, decentralized identity, and censorship-resistant infrastructure.

Participants mapped these gaps into potential collaborative workstreams and concrete research directions.

Builder Matching
The retreat connected researchers, protocol developers, and infrastructure builders working on related problems.

Participants identified where their skills and projects could contribute directly to active problem spaces.

Next Milestone
Participants discussed follow-up checkpoints to maintain collaboration beyond the retreat.

Upcoming ecosystem gatherings, including Devconnect in Buenos Aires, were identified as opportunities to review progress and continue coordination.

Cypherpunk Fellows

Cashu Integration for AT Protocol: Private Payments at Scale
Rudy Fraser, Blacksky Algorithms
Integrating Cashu, a Chaumian ecash protocol, to enable confidential peer-to-peer payments while preserving the decentralized ethos of AT Protocol. This will set a critical precedent for privacy-preserving financial infrastructure on open social protocols.

Distributed MLS
Mark Xue and Anna Mistele, Germ Network

Finalize the design for a decentralized configuration of Messaging Layer Security, implement it in an MIT licensed library, and analyze the design through testing to prepare for IETF standardization

Remote Attestation with Exported Authenticators
Peg, Independent
This project implements "Remote Attestation with Exported Authenticators," an IETF draft protocol that securely binds hardware attestation to TLS sessions without modifying TLS itself. The Rust library will enable projects to verify confidential workloads (TEEs) using existing TLS clients, solving a common pain points with current attestation methods.

Simple Private Payment L2
Aleph_V, Independent
A design for private stablecoin payments at near-zero cost, using zero-knowledge proofs for privacy and a simple challenge protocol for security, funded by interest rather than transaction fees.

Partnerships & Collaboration Signals

Partnerships unlocked:

Tor & Ethereum Foundation’s privacy leadership connected & fostered collaboration.

Over 2000 visitors came to Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress 2 at Buenos Aires. Among speakers were here pictured, founder of Ethereum Foundation Vitalik Buterin talking about their new collaboration with Tor Project here with Roger Dingledine.

2. The Internet Archive expanded it's European presence by finding local coordinator

Watch a video with Brewster Khale from Internet Archive talking about centralized control over knowledge, why we need many independent archives, how we could rebuild a decentralized web using tools like Tor and much more here

3. Bluesky matched with Germ, Matrix, and Cashu

Germ has integrated end-to-end encrypted messaging into the Bluesky via the AT Protocol, becoming the first private messenger to launch natively within Bluesky.

What Was Achieved

The retreat translated urgency into alignment. Across 32 small-group sessions with 80+ active participants, builders, researchers, and organizers used the retreat format to surface shared priorities, compare roadmaps, and identify where coordination was most needed across secure communications, decentralized identity, confidential computing, and resilient infrastructure.

The result was not just discussion, but a clearer map of where interoperability work, cross-project collaboration, and partnership building could unlock progress across Web2 privacy, Web3, and internet-freedom communities. A broader overview of these discussions and outcomes is documented in the Protocol Labs summary of the Cypherpunk Retreat.

Just as importantly, the retreat produced visible follow-on work. The Dweb Server conversation described in the discussions is already reflected in Onion Press, a repository centered on packaging a web server with a Tor onion service for censorship-resistant publishing. Work on privacy-preserving communication and retrieval is also reflected in the Private Retrieval Fund, which supports research and development on reader-private communications. The retreat’s decentralized messaging and identity discussions carried forward into the Germ Cypherpunk Fellowship for Distributed MLS and into Germ’s later end-to-end encrypted integration with Bluesky via the AT Protocol.

The fellowship also included Cashu Integration for AT Protocol: Private Payments at Scale, led by Rudy Fraser / BlackSky Algorithms, Remote Attestation with Exported Authenticators done by Peg, and Simple Private Payment L2 by Alpeh_V. Continued censorship-circumvention experimentation is also visible in Tor-js and its underlying Rust / Web Assembly implementation, demonstrating how the retreat’s conversations have translated into concrete repositories, funded experiments, and ongoing collaborations across the privacy infrastructure ecosystem.

‘A Decentralized Platform For Sharing Intelligent Thoughts’ whitepaper has been crafted post-Retreat: palliora.org/whitepaper

Aftermath

Thanks to all the connections, networking and support participants of Cypherpunk Retreat created during these three days, many inspiring thoughts, collaborations and ideas has sparked. Months after the event we can still see how effective and enjoyable the Retreat was. Bellow are just few examples of participants reflecting on the event and sharing some of the many ideas and thoughts that Cypherpunk Retreat brought.

Participants reflecting on Cypherpunk Retreat at Berlin Ethereum Meetup.

Juan Benet from Protocol Labs talking about how to turn Retrean work into a movement at Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress 2 in Buenos Aires.

Another of Cypherpunk Retreat participants, Will Scott from Protocol Labs, during panel discussion at Ethereum Cypherpunk 2 about programmable cryptography meeting decentralisation (featuring Aztec, Status, Mask, Calimero).

Products like Freedom Browser by Meinhard Benn & Florian Glatz has been evolving: https://github.com/solardev-xyz/freedom-browser & results will be presented at Neo-cypherpunk Summit in Berlin.

Ethereum continuing Tor exploration:

andyguzman.eth | privacy/acc

@AndyGuzmanEth

pse.dev/projects/tor-js

694

5:08 • 3 Mar 2026

Sebastian Vogelsang from Eurosky continue to implement retreat discussions: "Track 2 of the proposal includes „quantum-resistant, privacy-preserving zero-knowledge credentials (attribute-based/anonymous credentials, linkable ring signatures) for age-gating, reputation, and anti-abuse without tracking“.

Germ team integrating into Bluesky & being endorsement by EFF Head Of Cybersecurity.

Fellows continue to showcase their progress

Feedback

About Cypherpunk Retreat
A Retreat on Privacy, Freedom, and Open Networks organised by Protocol Labs & Web3Privacy Now: https://cypherpunk.camp

Appendix

[1] Web3Privacy Now. Organization website. URL: https://x.com/web3privacy.
[2] Protocol Labs. Organization website. URL: https://www.protocol.ai/.
[3] Protocol Labs. Threads from the 2025 Cypherpunk Retreat. URL: https://www.protocol.ai/blog/threads-from-the-2025-cypherpunk-retreat/.
[4] Freedom Browser. Project website. URL: https://freedombrowser.eth.limo/.
[5] Cypherpunk Retreat. Official event website. URL: https://cypherpunk.camp/.
[6] University of Oxford. Dr. Fazl Barez – Research profile. URL: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/find-an-expert/dr-fazl-barez.
[7] University of Oxford. Official website. URL: https://www.ox.ac.uk/.
[8] Gnosis. Organization website. URL: https://www.gnosis.io/.
[9] Ethereum Foundation. Organization website. URL: https://ethereum.foundation/.
[10] Learning Proof. Project website. URL: https://learningproof.xyz/.
[11] Brave Software. Privacy browser website. URL: https://brave.com/.
[12] Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Organization website. URL: https://cyber.harvard.edu/.
[13] World Ethical Data Foundation. Organization website. URL: https://worldethicaldata.org/.
[14] Germ Network. Organization website. URL: https://www.germnetwork.com/.
[15] IPFS Foundation. Organization website. URL: https://ipfsfoundation.org/.
[16] Onion Press. GitHub repository for censorship-resistant publishing infrastructure. URL: https://github.com/vpavlin/onion-press.
[17] Private Retrieval Fund. GitHub repository supporting privacy-preserving information access. URL: https://github.com/private-retrieval/fund.
[18] Germ Network. Germ Cypherpunk Fellowship for open-source MLS development. URL: https://www.germnetwork.com/blog/germ-cypherpunk-fellowship-open-source-mls.
[19] Devconnect. Ethereum ecosystem conference website. URL: https://devconnect.org/.
[20] Cashu. Chaumian e-cash protocol website. URL: https://cashu.space/.
[21] AT Protocol. Decentralized social networking protocol. URL: https://atproto.com/.
[22] BlackSky Algorithms. Organization website. URL: https://blackskyweb.xyz/.
[23] Bluesky Social. Decentralized social networking platform. URL: https://bsky.app/.
[24] Privacy & Scaling Explorations. Tor-JS project page. URL: https://pse.dev/projects/tor-js.
[25] Tor-JS. Rust / WebAssembly implementation repository. URL: https://github.com/voltrevo/arti/tree/wasm-arti-client/crates/tor-js.
[26] Freedom Browser. GitHub repository. URL: https://github.com/solardev-xyz/freedom-browser.
[27] Social PETs. Project proposal document. URL: https://social-pets.notion.site/Project-Proposal-Social-PETs-EU-27398815bf318046bd7ed5b2f7bd61a4.
[28] Web3Privacy Now. S26 Berlin privacy event. URL: https://s26ber.web3privacy.info/.
[29] TechCrunch. Germ brings end-to-end encrypted messages to Bluesky. URL: https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/30/germ-brings-end-to-end-encrypted-messages-to-bluesky/.
[30] Ameba23. GitHub profile. URL: https://github.com/ameba23.
[31] YouTube. Cypherpunk Retreat related video. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWDF3B8hT6M.
[32] YouTube. Cypherpunk infrastructure discussion video. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KEdd1uR6XE.
[33] YouTube. Decentralized privacy infrastructure discussion. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_evGcDWRuyg.
[34] YouTube. Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress discussion. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B08IXHLOQp4.
[35] YouTube. Privacy infrastructure discussion video. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww2InbgeWNk.

“Privacy Awards” is an annual initiative facilitated by the Web3Privacy Now. It highlights key projects, innovations, events, news and doxxers selected by contributors across the ecosystem — developers, researchers, founders, cryptographers, cypherpunks and community builders. All nominations were public and aggregated from community submissions.

Best Privacy Project

The Project category once again showed strength across multiple layers of the stack: shielded L1s, collaborative tooling, programmable privacy and transaction anonymity. Long-standing infrastructure continues to matter, while new coordination layers are gaining momentum.

And the award goes to…

Winner

Zcash — 17 votes

A continued benchmark for on-chain privacy, Zcash remains central to conversations around shielded transactions, protocol research and resilient privacy infrastructure.

Second place

Fileverse — 15 votes

An open collaboration stack offering decentralized document tooling and coordination infrastructure. Fileverse reflects the growing demand for privacy-preserving alternatives to centralized productivity suites.

Third place

Railgun — 13 votes

Transaction privacy remains a core battleground. Railgun continues to push forward private DeFi interactions and programmable anonymity within Ethereum’s ecosystem.

News of the Year

If one thing defined 2025, it was the legal and regulatory spotlight on privacy infrastructure. Courtrooms, sanctions lists and legislative proposals shaped the narrative as much as code.

Winner

Tornado Cash Legal Saga — 18 votes

From verdicts to sanctions reversals, the Tornado Cash case marked a defining moment for developer liability, open-source neutrality and the limits of enforcement against code.

Second place

EU Chat Control — 14 votes

The continued push for mandatory scanning of private communications in the European Union sparked widespread resistance and mobilization. The debate around Chat Control has become emblematic of the broader struggle over encryption in Europe.

Third place

Samourai Wallet Case — 6 votes

Prosecution of privacy developers again raised questions about criminalizing code and targeting open-source infrastructure. The Samourai case reinforced the fragility of privacy tooling under regulatory pressure.

Exciting Innovation

Despite legal headwinds, innovation did not slow down. The year saw progress in wallet design, fully homomorphic encryption and zk execution environments.

Winner

Kohaku — 9 votes

A wallet initiative focused on improving user experience for private Ethereum interactions, Kohaku reflects the ecosystem’s shift toward making privacy the default rather than the exception.

Second place

FHE Advancements — 8 votes

Fully Homomorphic Encryption continues to move from theory toward production viability. Tooling and performance improvements signal a long-term trajectory toward encrypted computation at scale.

Third place

zkVM / ZK Acceleration — 7 votes

From real-time proving to general-purpose zk execution, zkVM progress indicates that privacy-preserving computation is becoming faster, more composable and more accessible to builders.

Event of the Year

2025 was a year where privacy stepped back into the center of Ethereum culture.

Winner

Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress 2 — 17 votes

Privacy-focused gathering held in Buenos Aires as part of Devconnect week focusing on cypherpunk ideals and digital autonomy. More than 5000 visitors and over 100 speakers - It built on the first edition’s success. Congress brought together activists, builders, and thought leaders to discuss privacy, censorship resistance, and decentralization within the Ethereum ecosystem.

Second place

Devconnect (Privacy Events) — 9 votes

A six-day “Ethereum World’s Fair” hosted at La Rural in Buenos Aires that gathered the global Ethereum community—developers, founders, builders, and ecosystem contributors—for talks, workshops, coworking spaces, and showcases of Ethereum tech and real-world dapps. Expected attendance was in the ~15,000 range, featuring dozens of community-run events and hubs designed to foster collaboration on DeFi, privacy tech, infrastructure, and on-chain innovation.

Third place

Privacy Stack at Devcon — 2 votes

A focused privacy summit held during Devconnect in Buenos Aires that convened leading Ethereum developers, privacy advocates, cryptographers, and technologists such as Vitalik Buterin and Tor Project founder Roger Dingledine. With 30+ speakers across multiple stages, the event centered on advancing “holistic privacy” — integrating network, protocol, tooling, and UX layers — and set a roadmap for privacy improvements in Ethereum’s ecosystem going forward.

Doxxer of the Year

As always, the Doxxer category reflects entities perceived as undermining privacy norms, infrastructure or user protections.

Winner

European Union (Chat Control) — 16 votes

The push for mandatory scanning and age-verification frameworks positioned EU institutions at the center of the encryption debate.

Second place

United Kingdom Surveillance Laws — 8 votes

Online Safety legislation and identity requirements intensified concerns about state-level normalization of surveillance.

Third place

Coinbase — 6 votes

Data practices and compliance dynamics continue to raise questions around the tension between regulated exchanges and user privacy.

Detailed overview

Across all categories:

• 5 award categories

• 100+ unique nominations

• Strong dominance of legal/privacy enforcement themes in News

• Continued focus on shielded transactions and collaboration tools in Projects

• Rising interest in FHE and zk execution in Innovation

• Privacy-centered conferences gaining cultural weight

The ecosystem appears to be entering a new phase: privacy is no longer optional infrastructure, but a political, technical and cultural axis shaping Web3’s future.

For those interested in the broader picture, we recommend revisiting the previously published longlists and raw nomination breakdowns to explore the full spectrum of projects and signals that defined 2025.

Privacy remains contested. Coordination continues. The stack evolves.

From zkVM acceleration and FHE breakthroughs to privacy wallets, infrastructure primitives, and post-quantum milestones, 2025 shows innovation happening across every layer of the privacy stack.

Out of 57 longlisted innovations:

• 20 Wallets & Privacy Applications

• 15 Protocol & Infrastructure Innovations

• 8 Zero-Knowledge & zkVM Advances

• 6 Fully Homomorphic Encryption & Advanced Cryptography Developments

• 4 Post-Quantum & Next-Generation Cryptography Milestones

• 4 Ecosystem & Institutional Privacy Developments

Below is the full longlist, grouped by category for easier navigation.
This is not a ranking.

I. Wallets & Privacy Applications (18)

• Bitchat (offline meshed messaging)

• Fileverse's Dsheets

• Freedom Browser

  

• Kohaku (Ethereum privacy client & wallet)

• Mullvad DAITA (AI traffic analysis protection)

• Unforgettable Fuzzy Extractor

• Private Voting Platforms

• Private FaceMatch

• Rarimo and Bionetta

  

• Railgun - privacy multisig

• Session Protocol V2

• SelfID

• Web3PrivacyNow Explorer

• Zashi (with @near_intents swaps)

• zkTLS

• Veil Cash

• Solana launching Confidential Balances

• Monero Full-Chain Membership Proofs

II. Protocol & Infrastructure Innovations (13)

• Anonymous Webs of Trust

• Aztec Ignition Launch

• Circle X Aleo

• Counter Galois Onion

• DarkIRC

• dstack

• EIP-7702

• EIP-8105

• EVM bytecode obfuscation for private transfers

• libp2p-mix

• MachinaIO

• NEAR Intents

• Uniswap CCA (Continuous Clearing Auctions)

• TOR x Ethereum initiatives

III. Zero-Knowledge & zkVM Advances (8)

• General zkVMs

• Longfellow

• ZKPs in Google Wallet

• Institutional adoption and real world ZK use cases

• Proximity gaps conjecture disproven

• Real time ETH block proving with Sp1 Hypercube

• zkVM acceleration!

• ZK wormholes/Plausible Deniability @eip7503

IV. Fully Homomorphic Encryption & Advanced Cryptography (6)

• Zama FHEVM

• Zama: Bootstrapping TFHE ciphertexts in less than one millisecond

• High-throughput threshold FHE decryption

• Secret Sharing with Snitching to address keyholder collusion in threshold cryptography

• Silent Threshold Encryption with One-Shot Adaptive Security

• Quasi-Linear Indistinguishability Obfuscation via Mathematical Proofs of Equivalence and Applications

V. Post-Quantum & Next-Generation Cryptography (4)

• Post-quantum tipping point with ML-KEM

• FHE advancements

• Binius

• Monero Full-Chain Membership Proofs

VI. Ecosystem & Institutional Privacy Developments (5)

• IPTF established

• GrapheneOS working with OEM on new phone

• Privacy Pools V2

• Popup cities

• PsyDAO

The 2025 innovation cycle shows a privacy ecosystem maturing across multiple layers simultaneously.

Wallet UX is improving.
Zero-knowledge systems are accelerating.
FHE performance barriers are falling.
Post-quantum readiness is moving into production.
Institutional actors are engaging more directly with privacy primitives.

Innovation is no longer theoretical — it is shipping.

Explore Other 2025 Longlists

• Event of the Year — Longlist

• Projects Category — Longlist

• Doxxer of the Year — Longlist

Privacy is no longer peripheral. It is central.

Below is the alphabetically ordered longlist of all nominated news items.

Keep in mind, this is just alphabetical ranking. Winners will be announced soon.

Out of 38 longlisted developments:

• 8 relate to government regulation and anti-privacy legislation

• 7 reflect ecosystem privacy innovation

• 6 center on legal battles and the criminalization of privacy tools

• 5 expose surveillance infrastructure and institutional monitoring

• 5 involve major data breaches or infrastructure failures

• 4 highlight zero-knowledge research and cryptographic advances

• 2 mark a broader cultural and narrative shift toward privacy

• 1 focuses on digital identity expansion

The story of 2025 is not just about leaks or hacks.

It is about courts, sanctions, legislation, identity systems, and the normalization of privacy as foundational infrastructure.I. Legal Battles & Criminalization of Privacy Tools

Best News of 2025

I. Legal Battles & Criminalization of Privacy Tools

Roman Storm trial & split verdict developments

Tornado Cash trial & legal case developments

Tornado Cash sanctions lifted / removed from OFAC

Samourai Wallet developers arrested and jailed

Convictions of Samourai Wallet developers

Legal attacks on privacy developers

II. Government Regulation & Anti-Privacy Legislation

Chat Control: EU proposals requiring mandatory scanning of private communications

Fight over EU Chat Control

Dark Enlightenment Acts & Regulations (UK Online Safety, EU Chat Control and more)

US state age verification & digital ID laws (LA, UT, TX, MO)

Utah Digital Identity Act Passed

EU Central Bank announces CBDC developments

SEC announcing “Project Crypto”

GENIUS Act enabling compliant private stablecoins

III. Surveillance Infrastructure & Institutional Monitoring

Flock cameras made accessible via FOI requests

CWA “Workers First Initiative on AI” targeting surveillance harms

Teamsters secure anti-surveillance clause in UPS contract

Telegram quietly updates terms to share data with authorities

Kohler’s Smart Toilet camera not actually end-to-end encrypted

IV. Major Data Breaches & Infrastructure Failures

Chinese surveillance database leak exposing 4 billion records

23andMe filing for bankruptcy

Bybit hack caused by compromised centralized multisig UI

Cloudflare and AWS outages expose fragility of dApp infrastructure

TEE security guarantees of Intel & AMD broken cheaply

V. Zero-Knowledge Research & Cryptographic Advances

Proximity gaps conjecture disproven & research progress

Google using Ligero for ZKPs

Progress in Ethereum’s Institutional Privacy Task Force

ZKPs integrated into Google Wallet

VI. Ecosystem Privacy Innovation

Aztec launches Ignition chain

Privacy Pools launch

Kohaku wallet announcement

Veil Cash announcement

Solana launching Confidential Balances

Circle X Aleo collaboration

Ethereum Fusaka Upgrade

VII. Narrative & Cultural Shift Toward Privacy

Vitalik “Privacy Pivot” moment

Ethereum Foundation prioritizes privacy

VIII. Digital Identity Expansion

Bhutan Digital ID System integrates Ethereum

What Happens Next

This longlist reflects the community’s view of the most significant privacy-related news of 2025.

From sanctions reversals to courtroom battles, from digital ID mandates to cryptographic breakthroughs, this was a year where privacy moved decisively into the center of global debate.

Stay tuned for winners announcement.

Meanwhile, check other longlists:
Best Privacy Project
Best Privacy Event of 2025
Biggest Doxxer of 2025

The final winner will be revealed in the official awards announcement.

Event of the Year — Longlist

39c3 — Chaos Communication Congress

Hosted in Hamburg, Germany, 39c3 gathered thousands of hackers, researchers, and digital rights advocates for talks and workshops focused on cryptography, surveillance resistance, and open technology.

Cypherpunk Retreat

An intimate gathering of privacy builders and cryptographers designed to foster deep discussions around decentralized systems and digital autonomy.

Dark Prague

A Prague-based privacy gathering centered on cypherpunk philosophy, decentralized infrastructure, and anonymous financial systems.

DC Privacy Summit

A Washington, D.C. summit bringing together policy experts, technologists, and advocates to discuss encryption, surveillance legislation, and civil liberties.

DEF CON 33 — Crypto & Privacy Village

Held in Las Vegas, the Crypto & Privacy Village at DEF CON convened security researchers and developers to explore real-world cryptographic implementations and privacy threats.

Devconnect Argentina

Part of the Ethereum ecosystem event series, Devconnect Argentina featured multiple community-led gatherings, including sessions on zero-knowledge and privacy infrastructure.

Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress 2

A dedicated privacy conference within the Ethereum ecosystem focused on zero-knowledge research, protocol design, and decentralized identity.

Ethereum Privacy Stack

An initiative and event series mapping the evolving privacy tooling landscape across Ethereum’s Layer 1 and Layer 2 ecosystem.

ETHDenver — Privacy Track

One of the largest Ethereum conferences globally, ETHDenver featured a dedicated privacy track covering zk research, rollups, and private infrastructure.

ETHKyiv

An Ethereum-focused conference in Ukraine bringing together developers, researchers, and builders, including discussions on privacy-preserving applications.

ETHPrague

A European Ethereum conference known for its strong emphasis on zero-knowledge development, cryptography workshops, and infrastructure innovation.

MoneroKon

A global gathering of the Monero community featuring talks on privacy-preserving cryptography, financial anonymity, and peer-to-peer systems.

Protocol Berg

A Berlin-based technical conference focused on protocol-level research, including privacy-enhancing technologies and Ethereum core development.

W3PN Hackathon Berlin

A Web3Privacy Now hackathon in Berlin enabling hands-on development of privacy-focused tools, wallets, and cryptographic applications.

ZK Hack / ZK Events Series

A global event series and hackathon program dedicated to zero-knowledge education, workshops, and practical cryptography challenges.

ZKMonk Real World Summit

A summit connecting zero-knowledge research with real-world use cases, featuring protocol builders and applied cryptography experts.

The nominations reflect a diverse range of privacy-centered events across:

• Hacker congresses
• Ethereum ecosystem conferences
• Zero-knowledge workshops
• Privacy hackathons
• Community summits

But that's not all!

Events and gathering weren't the only moments the community felt are worth mentioning.

So here is a long list of important Moments for Privacy as well.

Privacy Moment of the Year

• Age restrictions waking people up

• Digital ID requirements for half of US

• Fight Chat Control EU initiative
  

  

  Fight Chat Control

  Learn about the EU Chat Control proposal and contact your representatives to protect digital privacy and encryption.

  https://fightchatcontrol.eu

  

• Global rollout of Internet ID Mandates

• introduction of EU AI Act

• leak of 16 billions credentials from Apple, Google and Meta

• Privacy Narrative Breaking into Mainstream Discourse

• Privacy Pools Launch

• PSE refocused as Privacy Stewards of Ethereum

• Roman Storm Case

  

• Samourai Wallet Developer Arrests

• Tornado Cash Trial & Legal Developments

• US Treasury Sanctions & Crypto Privacy Enforcement Actions

• Widespread realization that privacy is necessary to enable many legitimate users in Web3

• and Vitalik Buterin wearing sunglasses at Devconnect!

  

These gatherings continue to shape the direction of digital privacy infrastructure worldwide.

The winner will be announced soon.

The final result will be revealed in the official awards announcement.

Governments & Legislative Initiatives

European Union — Chat Control Initiative

Fight Chat Control

Learn about the EU Chat Control proposal and contact your representatives to protect digital privacy and encryption.

https://fightchatcontrol.eu

Nominated for advancing legislation that would mandate client-side scanning and potentially weaken end-to-end encryption across messaging services + CBDC

Danish Government
for bringing chat control back to life with 2.0

France (Surveillance Legislation)
Nominated for expanding or proposing national surveillance measures impacting digital privacy.

UK Online Safety Act
Nominated for provisions critics argue could undermine encrypted communication and digital privacy + ID system + Age Verification

US Government — Surveillance Expansion (DHS / ICE)
Nominated for expanding digital surveillance programs, monitoring systems, and data collection initiatives like scanning "tourists social media".

Corporations & Surveillance Firms

Arkham Intelligence
Nominated for building large-scale blockchain deanonymization tools designed to link crypto addresses to real-world identities.

Chainalysis
Nominated for providing blockchain surveillance analytics and transaction tracing services to governments and law enforcement agencies.

Coinbase

Nominated for compliance-driven identity tracking, transaction monitoring, and cooperation with regulatory surveillance frameworks.

Coupang - for Massive Data Breaches

Ledger

Nominated due to historical customer data exposure incidents and concerns over privacy guarantees.

Mozilla (Privacy Policy Changes)
Nominated following privacy policy updates that some users viewed as expanding data collection or telemetry practices.

OpenAI / Mixpanel
Nominated over concerns regarding data collection, telemetry, and governance of user interaction data in AI systems.

Palantir
- for building large-scale government surveillance and intelligence data systems.

Qubic
Nominated for actions perceived as hostile toward privacy-focused ecosystems, particularly in relation to Monero.

Individuals

Elon Musk
Nominated for platform and policy decisions on X (formerly Twitter) perceived as weakening user privacy protections.

Larry Ellison
Nominated for public statements advocating expansive data aggregation and AI-driven surveillance systems intended to monitor populations.

Ylva Johansson
Nominated for her role in advocating EU-level proposals related to mandatory content scanning and encryption backdoors.

And those, who chanted that "Surveillance will ensure people are on their best behaviour", - Naomi Brockwell.

And for a change, here is a positive doxxer:

Tay

for exposing malicious actors and protecting Ethereum security.

Behind the Longlist

This year’s nominations reflect concerns across multiple layers of the privacy stack:

• Legislative attempts to mandate scanning or weaken encryption

• Blockchain deanonymization infrastructure

• Expanding regulatory surveillance

• AI telemetry and data governance

• Compliance-driven identity monitoring

The Doxxer of the Year category exists to surface accountability conversations in the privacy ecosystem — not to assign legal judgment, but to reflect community sentiment.

Privacy is infrastructure.
And infrastructure requires accountability.

— Web3Privacy Now

Every year, our community nominates projects across categories that celebrate the evolving privacy ecosystem. Today we begin with the Best Privacy Projects Category Longlist — a preview before the official winners are announced.

This list represents all legitimate projects nominated for Best Privacy Project in the 2025 Privacy Awards. It is not a ranking, but a recognition of impact and contribution across the privacy landscape.

Detailed overview — 89 projects

14 non-Web3 general privacy solutions
12 experimental/emerging privacy tooling
11 dapps
9 privacy protocols/infrastructure
7 identity-related projects
6 wallets/key management tools
5 VPN/network privacy tools
5 messengers/chats
3 AI/ML-related privacy tools
3 privacy-focused operating systems
3 mixnets/privacy networks

Read more about last years Winners of Best Privacy Project

Privacy Awards 2025: Projects Category Longlist

Aleo
A privacy-focused Layer 1 blockchain leveraging zero-knowledge proofs for confidential smart contracts.

Arch Linux
A lightweight Linux distribution often used as a base for privacy-conscious systems.

ashigaru whirlpool
A privacy-enhancing Bitcoin coinjoin implementation designed to strengthen transaction anonymity.

Aztec
A zk-rollup protocol bringing programmable privacy to Ethereum applications.

Bengalaq
An experimental privacy initiative exploring decentralized tooling and infrastructure.

Bermudabay
A Web3-native privacy project focused on secure digital coordination.

bit.chat
A decentralized peer-to-peer encrypted messaging application designed for private communication.

Brave Browser
A privacy-first web browser with built-in tracker blocking and optional Web3 capabilities.

BringID
An open-source decentralized identity project focused on privacy-preserving authentication.

Cake Nano GPT
A privacy-oriented AI tool exploring confidential or self-hosted language model usage.

Cake Pay
A crypto-powered gift card platform enabling privacy-preserving purchases.

Canton
a blockchain protocol for linking Daml applications across participants and organizations,

confer.to
A coordination platform supporting privacy-respecting digital collaboration.

Conspire
An open-source privacy-focused governance and coordination tool.

DarkFi
A privacy-preserving financial ecosystem focused on anonymous transactions and governance.

Davinci
A privacy-oriented voting platform designed for confidential on-chain governance.

EIP-7503
Enable minting of secretly burnt Ethers as a native privacy solution for Ethereum.

Enclave
A confidential compute platform leveraging secure enclaves for privacy-preserving applications.

Encifher
A cryptographic infrastructure project focused on encrypted identity and data protection.

Fileverse
A decentralized collaboration suite for privacy-respecting file sharing and editing.

Freedom Browser
A privacy-oriented browser focused on secure, censorship-resistant web access.

Fluidkey
A user-friendly, self-custodial key management solution that helps Web3 users securely store, manage, and recover private keys..

ForestKeeper
An open-source initiative building privacy-preserving digital infrastructure.

Germ
An experimental privacy project exploring decentralized digital interaction.

GnosisVPN
A decentralized VPN service integrating crypto payments for private browsing.

GrapheneOS
A hardened Android operating system focused on security and privacy.

Kagi
A privacy-first search engine that operates on a paid model without tracking or profiling users.

idOS
A decentralized identity infrastructure enabling privacy-preserving credential management.

Immich
A self-hosted photo and media management solution emphasizing data ownership.

Kohaku
A privacy wallet initiative within the Ethereum ecosystem.

Las Comadres ZK
A community-driven initiative promoting zero-knowledge education and privacy empowerment.

Logos
A Web3 identity and privacy infrastructure initiative within the Status ecosystem.

MeshCore
A privacy-focused networking and communications infrastructure project.

Miden
A zk-based Layer 2 solution focused on scalable and private smart contract execution.

Midnight
A privacy-focused blockchain protocol designed to enable confidential smart contracts.

Monero
A leading privacy cryptocurrency built on ring signatures and confidential transactions.

Monero FCMP++
A cryptographic upgrade enhancing Monero’s anonymity guarantees.

Mullvad VPN
A privacy-first VPN provider known for anonymous accounts and strong transparency practices.

NeverLocal
A privacy networking tool designed to obscure device location metadata.

Noir
A domain-specific language for writing zero-knowledge proofs.

Obscura
A privacy-first VPN service designed to provide fast, metadata-resistant internet access without tracking or logging user activity.

0xbow
A privacy-preserving digital coordination and infrastructure initiative.

Nym
A mixnet protocol providing network-level anonymity and metadata protection.

Payy
A privacy-oriented digital payments and wallet solution.

Polymarket
A decentralized prediction market platform operating on blockchain infrastructure.

Privacy Pools
A privacy protocol enabling selective disclosure in Ethereum transactions.

Qubes OS
A security-oriented operating system that isolates applications using virtualization for strong privacy protection.

Privacy Stewards of Ethereum
A research collective advancing privacy and cryptographic infrastructure within Ethereum.

Pump.fun
A token launch platform operating within Web3 ecosystems.

Railgun
A privacy smart contract system enabling shielded transactions on Ethereum.

Rotki
An open-source, privacy-focused portfolio tracker that keeps crypto financial data stored locally.

Rarimo
A privacy and interoperability protocol for decentralized identity and data movement.

Session
A decentralized encrypted messaging app built on a privacy network.

Shutter Network
A threshold encryption protocol designed to prevent front-running and MEV exploitation.

Signal
An end-to-end encrypted messaging application widely used for private communication.

SimpleX
A messaging protocol that removes user identifiers to maximize privacy.

Tinfoil
A privacy toolkit aimed at simplifying encrypted communication and secure digital practices.

Taceo
A privacy infrastructure initiative focused on secure shared state systems.

Tor
A network anonymity protocol routing traffic through volunteer relays.

Tornado Cash
A smart contract mixer enabling private Ethereum transactions.

Vocdoni
A censorship-resistant digital voting protocol with privacy-preserving cryptographic guarantees.

Venice AI
An AI initiative exploring privacy-respecting large language model deployment.

Walletbeat
A Web3 analytics platform tracking wallet activity and ecosystem trends.

Warptoad
An experimental privacy-focused infrastructure project.

Web3Privacy Now
A community initiative advocating for privacy infrastructure in Web3.

WORM
A privacy protocol exploring confidential communication and infrastructure tooling.

xx.network
A quantum-resistant privacy blockchain focused on secure communication and metadata protection.

Zashi
A user-friendly Zcash wallet focused on private mobile transactions.

Zcash
A pioneering privacy cryptocurrency leveraging zero-knowledge cryptography.

Zeenatweb3
A Web3 privacy advocate and community contributor.

Zisk
A privacy infrastructure initiative building confidential Web3 systems.

ZKBob
A privacy layer for stablecoin transactions built using zero-knowledge proofs.

ZKP2P
A peer-to-peer fiat on-ramp protocol using zero-knowledge proofs.

ZKPassport
A zero-knowledge identity verification system enabling private credential proofs.

Behind the Longlist

This longlist reflects the diversity of the privacy ecosystem in 2025:

• Zero-knowledge infrastructure

• Encrypted communications

• Privacy-preserving payments

• Decentralized identity

• Hardened operating systems

• Privacy-first tooling

From established pioneers like Zcash, Monero, and Tor to emerging initiatives like Kohaku and ZKPassport, the 2025 nominations showcase a broad and technically ambitious privacy landscape.

Take a look at the last year's winners

And HERE you can see who got nominated for Best Privacy Project of 2024

What’s Next

This longlist is just the beginning. The official winners for Best Privacy Project, alongside the other award categories, will be announced soon.

Privacy is infrastructure.
And infrastructure deserves recognition.

Then we proceed to the applications, because they are what matter to the users most. Easy to use and connect to apps, with nice and simple UI that everyone and their friends and families can start using. Be it Wallets and means for safe and private transactions, VPNs to hide one's IP address or Messengers to chat with your close ones.

We also understand that with new apps and knowledge that sparks curiosity, one might want to dive deeper into the whole world of DAOs and contribute to the ecosystem. In the same spirit, without solid infrastructure, tooling and labs, there would be no applications at all. So the whole structure follows in this spirit, almost like moving from the tip of the iceberg down to its base, this map covers what there is to know and keep on the radar. Communities and social events included.

In short, we apply a human-centric approach to mapping by putting applications as the starting point of Ethereum privacy activity. Only afterwards we follow up with the tech layer from EIPs to SDKs. This helps to decenter privacy from inward-tech view without adoption & focus on projects, initiatives in need of privacy.

Watch Ethereum Privacy Roadmap by Andy Guzman x Lead at Privacy Stewards of Ethereum @ Ethereum Privacy Stack, Devconnect 2025

Think we are missing something? Let us know!

1. Advocacy

Advocacy focuses on promoting policies and practices that enhance privacy protections in the Ethereum ecosystem.

These organisations focus on promoting policies and practices that support digital privacy rights and technological advancements.

• Coin Center - Advocates for smart crypto and privacy laws.

• Web3Privacy Now - Promotes privacy tools for Web3 users.

• Privacy Guardians - Shares updates on digital privacy and rights.

• Womxn in Privacy - Supports women leaders in privacy technology.

• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) - Defends digital privacy and free speech rights.

The Institutional Privacy Task Force (IPTF) is a dedicated team that helps onboard institutions and enterprises onto Ethereum, with a focus on ensuring their privacy needs are met in a performant, secure, usable, and accessible way.

Watch head of IPTF's Oskar Thorin talk on Institutional privacy meets Ethereum. And follow up panel feat Zach Obront (Etherealize), Amzah Moelah (ABN AMRO), Eugenio Reggianini (European Blockchain Association), Francois Garillot (Miden).

2. Dapps

This category includes applications that prioritize user privacy, enabling secure interactions and transactions within the Ethereum network.

Wallets

Wallets allow users to securely store and manage their cryptocurrency assets while enhancing privacy and anonymity.

• Railway - DeFi wallet using zero-knowledge proofs to shield transactions and balances on Ethereum and other chains.

• Frame - privacy-first desktop wallet that runs natively on your computer with full control over your keys and connections.

• Rabby - browser extension wallet designed for DeFi users with advanced transaction previewing and multi-chain support.

• Brume - non-custodial Ethereum wallet focused on privacy through built-in mixing and anonymous transaction capabilities.

• Hinkal - privacy protocol enabling confidential DeFi transactions while maintaining compliance and protecting user data.

• Terminal Wallet - Web3 wallet designed for seamless and secure interaction with decentralized applications.

• Token Shielder - shields token transfers and balances using zero-knowledge cryptography.

• Kohaku Wallet - privacy-focused wallet solution for managing digital assets with enhanced security features.

• Starshell - privacy-preserving Web3 wallet for the Secret Network ecosystem with built-in confidential computing features.

• Payy - decentralized payment wallet enabling private peer-to-peer transactions with minimal fees.

• Brave - built-in crypto wallet that supercharges Brave browser

• Ambire - smart wallet with account abstraction, gasless transactions, and enhanced security through email/password recovery. First wallet to get completely green lighted on Walletbeat.

Watch Vitalik Buterin, Nicolas Consigny & Kassandra "Kohaku: wallet privacy on Ethereum" @ Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress 2, Buenos Aires

Spotlight: Walletbeat - public good project that brings transparency to the Ethereum wallet ecosystem.

Transactions

This category includes tools that facilitate private and secure transactions on the Ethereum network.

• Railgun - privacy system for DeFi that uses zero-knowledge proofs to shield balances and transactions across multiple chains.

• Privacy Pools - transaction protocol that enables anonymous swaps and transfers on Ethereum by 0xBow.io

• Tornado Cash - decentralized protocol that breaks the on-chain link between source and destination addresses using smart contracts.

• zkbob - privacy-preserving stablecoin protocol enabling confidential transfers using zero-knowledge technology.

• Veil Cash - protocol for anonymous cryptocurrency transactions with enhanced obfuscation techniques.

• Fairblock - Decentralized censorship-resistant ordering using MPC.

• Blanksquare - Composable privacy tooling using zero-knowledge technology and TEE.

• Shutter Network - building Encrypted mempools on L1.

• Simple Private Payment L2 by @Alpeh_V - A design for private stablecoin payments at near-zero cost, using zero-knowledge proofs for privacy and a simple challenge protocol for security, funded by interest rather than transaction fees.

Stealth Addresses

Stealth addresses help enhance privacy by allowing users to generate unique, untraceable addresses for transactions.

• Fluidkey - Stealth address protocol for Ethereum that generates unique addresses for each transaction to protect recipient privacy.

• Umbra - Protocol for sending anonymous payments on Ethereum using stealth addresses that only recipients can access.

• Night - Privacy solution utilizing stealth addresses to enable untraceable cryptocurrency transactions.

• STELS - Stealth address implementation providing enhanced transaction privacy through one-time addresses.

• dstealth - Decentralized stealth address system for private peer-to-peer cryptocurrency transfers.

• Curvy - Privacy tool leveraging stealth addresses and cryptographic techniques for anonymous transactions.

Portfolio

Portfolio management tools help users track their cryptocurrency assets and investments while prioritizing privacy.

• Rotki - An open-source portfolio tracker that runs locally on your computer, keeping all financial data private and encrypted.

Storage

Storage solutions enable secure and private file storage on Ethereum and decentralized networks.

• Swarm - Open-source and decentralized storage and communication system providing censorship-resistant data hosting for Ethereum.

• Logos Storage - A decentralized storage network with built-in privacy features and durability guarantees for Web3 applications.

• Arcana - Web3 infrastructure platform offering decentralized storage with privacy-preserving access control mechanisms.

VPN

VPN services enhance privacy and security when accessing the Ethereum network and other online resources.

• Nym - A mixnet protocol providing network-level privacy by obscuring metadata and protecting against surveillance.

• GnosisVPN - Decentralized VPN service built on blockchain technology for private and censorship-resistant internet access.

• MASQ dMeshVPN - Mesh VPN network that routes traffic through nodes to protect user privacy and anonymity.

Messengers

Privacy-focused messengers provide secure communication channels for users within the Ethereum ecosystem.

• Status - Secure messaging app and Web3 browser with end-to-end encryption built on Ethereum principles.

• Session - Decentralized private messaging app, minimizing metadata.

Watch "Decentralization Protects Privacy in Messaging" by Chris McCabe from Session @ Ethereum Privacy Stack, Devconnect

Documents

Decentralized document solutions facilitate secure and private document management.

• ddocs - Decentralized document management system enabling private, encrypted storage and sharing of files.

P2P Offramp

Peer-to-peer offramp solutions facilitate anonymous conversions of cryptocurrency to fiat.

• ZKP2P - Peer-to-peer fiat-to-crypto onramp using zero-knowledge proofs to maintain privacy during transactions

Private-Proof-of-Burn Mining

Innovative mining projects focus on privacy-preserving mechanisms for cryptocurrency mining.

• WORM - A privacy-focused mining protocol utilizing proof-of-burn mechanisms for fair token distribution.

3. Identify & Governance

Identity and Governance involve tools and frameworks that allow users to manage their digital identities and maintain control over their personal data.

1. Credentials Solutions

These projects focus on providing identity solutions through privacy-preserving technologies.

• Rarimo
  A permissionless ZK identity & registry protocol.

• Human.tech
  Privacy-preserving human identity + wallet infrastructure.

• ZKPassport
  Zero-knowledge identity & data proof protocol.

• Zupass
  A project for managing Proof-Carrying Data (PCD) with privacy features.

• Onflow
  A decentralized identity protocol focusing on secure identity management.

• Reclaim Protocol
  Web2 to Web3 verified credentials via ZK proofs.

• Opacity Network
  A ZKP protocol for proving anything without revealing the details.

• Self Protocol
  A privacy-preserving identity solution leveraging zero-knowledge proofs.

• QuarkID
  A digital trust framework by the Buenos Aires government for self-sovereign identity.

• Anon Aadhaar
  A protocol for proving Aadhaar ID ownership privately.

2. DAO Privacy

Projects under this category focus on privacy solutions specific to decentralized autonomous organizations. Explore The State of Private Voting report by Shutter & PSE here

• MACI
  Minimum Anti-Collusion Infrastructure.

• DaVinci
  A zk-SNARK-based voting protocol designed for secure and anonymous voting.

• Privote
  A DAO privacy-focused voting solution.

• Zupoll
  A platform for secure and anonymous voting in DAOs.

3. Standards

This category covers tools and resources that aim to set standards for identity and privacy in Web3.

• W3PN Explorer
  Dashboard featuring 780+ projects promising decentralised privacy & scoring them

• W3PN Builder Pack
  A toolkit for developers building privacy-first projects.

• Walletbeat
  An open repository of EVM-compatible wallets.

4. Infrastructure (Infra)

Infrastructure encompasses the foundational technologies and protocols that support privacy-enhancing solutions for Ethereum.

L2s & ZK Rollups

• Aztec
  Private-by-default zkRollup for Ethereum.

• TEN (Threshold Encryption Network)
  Encrypted mempool and private smart contracts.

• INTMAX
  Stateless zkRollup focused on scalability and privacy.

• COTI
  Layer2 with privacy-preserving shielded transactions.

• Shinobi.cash
  Cross-chain privacy protocol built using the OIF.

• Manta Network
  Modular L2 using ZK enabled Universal Circuits.

• Miden
  STARK-based virtual machine by Polygon.

• Nightfall
  Enterprise focused chain focused on privacy without anonymity.

Network & RPC Privacy

• NYM
  Mixnet for metadata-private networking.

• HOPR
  Privacy-preserving p2p data transport.

• RPCh
  Privacy-focused RPC relay network.

• Tor
  Onion routing for anonymous communication - onionizing Ethereum.
  A directory of privacy-preserving tools and infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem that leverage the Tor network is here - Github repo

Watch Roger Dingledine x Tor and Vitalik Buterin x Buterin fireside

• SecureRPC (Manifold)
  Secure, private RPC infrastructure for Web3.

Private Compute

• INCO
  Confidential compute for smart contracts.

• Zama
  Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) for blockchain and AI.

• NuCypher
  Threshold cryptography and encryption services.

• Mind Network
  Zero-trust data lake and FHE infrastructure.

• Fhenix
  FHE-powered Ethereum-compatible rollup.

• Oasis
  Confidential EVM and privacy-enabled smart contracts.

• Arcium
  An encrypted supercomputer, enabling operating on the internet without need to read the underlying data.

• TACEO
  Secure multiparty computation (MPC) infrastructure.

Node & Cross-chain

• DappNode
  Self-hosted Web3 infrastructure nodes.

• Panther Protocol
  Privacy-preserving DeFi and cross-chain transactions.

• Chainlink
  Decentralized oracle and cross-chain infrastructure.

• Warp-toad
  Cross-chain or node tooling (limited public documentation).

• SilentSwap
  Cross-chain non-custodial aggregator using TEE.

5. Tooling

Tooling includes various utility tools and software frameworks designed to aid developers in creating privacy-focused applications and features.

ZK Infra

• Summa
  ZK proofs for cross-chain and financial verification.

• NEBRA
  Decentralized zk-proof infrastructure and prover network.

• Axiom
  ZK coprocessor for Ethereum historical data.

• PCD (Proof-Carrying Data)
  Framework for composable cryptographic proofs.

Protocols

• UniRep Protocol
  Private reputation system using zero-knowledge proofs.

• Bandada
  Privacy-preserving group management for ZK apps.

• ZKProtocol
  ZK-focused protocol tooling (limited public canonical site).

• Bermuda
  ZK/privacy protocol (early-stage or research-facing).

• RLN (Rate Limiting Nullifier)
  Anonymous rate-limiting for spam resistance.

• zkETHer
  Privacy-preserving Ethereum transactions.

• Semaphore
  Anonymous signaling and group membership proofs.

• TLSNotary
  Verifiable web data via TLS proofs.

Domains

• Shutter (MEV)
  Threshold encryption to prevent MEV extraction.

• Logos Storage
  Decentralized, durable data storage.

• Logos Messaging
  Privacy-preserving p2p messaging protocol.

• Spook (RPC)
  Privacy-focused RPC tooling.

• Enclave (Governance)
  Secure governance tooling (early-stage).

• Radicle (Code)
  Peer-to-peer, sovereign code collaboration.

6. Research & Development

This category covers initiatives and projects dedicated to advancing privacy technologies and methodologies within the Ethereum ecosystem.

Applied Research

• NOVA Verifier
  A verification tool for zero-knowledge proofs.

• Folding
  Framework for folding schemes in cryptographic settings.

Research

• NOVA
  A verification tool for zero-knowledge proofs.

Low-Level Libraries

• Solidity
  A programming language for writing smart contracts on Ethereum.

• Noir
  A programming language designed for zero-knowledge proofs.

• Circom
  A circuit description language for zero-knowledge proofs.

• Halo 2
  A proof system for efficient zero-knowledge proofs.

Dev Shops & Research Labs

• Fat Solutions
  A development shop focusing on secure blockchain solutions.

• Distributed Lab
  A lab specializing in blockchain technology and research.

• Wonderland
  A decentralized finance platform offering innovative solutions.

• PSE
  A research initiative focused on privacy [part of EF]. Check PSE's roadmap here

• Silence Laboratories
  A research lab dedicated to privacy solutions in blockchain.

• Primus Labs
  A research and development lab focused on pioneering blockchain technologies.

• Encrypt Labs
  A zkTLS oracle protocol that enables web private data to be verifiable on-chain.

• nil; Foundation
  A foundation focused on privacy and security in computing.

• 0xPARC
  A research collective exploring privacy and scaling infrastructures.

• RaidGuild
  A community of developers and designers collaborating on decentralized solutions.

• Nethermind Research
  Research arm of software engineering company Nethermind.

• a16z Crypto Research
  Research arm of the crypto arm of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz

• Client-Side GPU Acceleration by PSE
  ZK proofs generated on users' devices while alligned with post-quantum goals.

PIR

• Plinko PIR Tutorial by Vitalik Buterin

EIP & ERCs

• ERC-7740
  Composable Security Middleware Hooks.

• ERC-5630
  New approach for encryption.

• ERC-5564
  Stealth Addresses.

• EIP-7503

• Zero-Knowledge Wormholes.

• ERC-2494
  Baby JubJub Elliptic Curve.

7. Communities

Communities consist of groups and networks that foster discussion, collaboration, and knowledge sharing around Ethereum privacy topics.

Major Organizations

• Department of Decentralisation
  A government initiative promoting decentralization through advocacy and policy.

• Web3Privacy Now!
  A community dedicated to building privacy-preserving solutions in the Web3 ecosystem.

Community Groups

• Privacy LatAm
  A collective focused on privacy rights and education in Latin America.

• Logos Circles
  ..A community fostering collaboration and discussion around decentralized technologies.

• Crecimiento
  A community focused on growth and privacy advocacy in Spanish-speaking regions.

8. Events

Events refer to conferences, meetups, and other gatherings focused on promoting dialogue and collaboration on privacy advancements in blockchain technology.

1. Hackathons

Hackathons are collaborative events where developers come together to innovate and create privacy-focused projects.

Offline Hackathons

• ETHRome
  Ethereum hackathon in Rome with zk/privacy tracks.

• ETHDam
  Amsterdam-based conference & hackathon focused on zk and privacy.

• ETHBerlin
  Ethereum hackathon in Berlin, includes cypherpunk and zero-knowledge projects.

• ETHTokyo
  Community of Tokyo-based developers and professionals, driven by a shared sense of cypherpunk ethos and optimism for the future, dedicated to advance the development and adoption of Ethereum

• ETHPrague
  Event focused on the future of Ethereum and potential concepts or applications that don't yet exist

• ETHBelgrade
  Part of Belgrade Blockchain Week

• W3PN HACKS
  Privacy-focused hackathon by the Web3Privacy.Now community.

Congresses

• Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress
  Gathering for Ethereum privacy developers, cypherpunks, and researchers.

2. Summits

Summits bring together experts and communities to discuss and promote advancements in privacy technology.

• Web3Privacy Now
  Annual summit focused on Web3 privacy tools and research for the Web3Privacy.Now community.

• Global Encryption Day 2025
  Global campaign to defend encryption rights and raise awareness, occurring on October 21st.

• Privacy Summit by Crecimiento
  Latin America-based summit focused on privacy in Web3.

3. Meetups

Meetups are events that foster community discussion and collaboration around privacy topics in the Ethereum ecosystem.

• Web3Privacy Now
  Community hosting local meetups for privacy builders and researchers.

• Privacy Guardians
  Online community sharing Web3 privacy events and resources.

9. Content

Content encompasses educational resources, publications, and blogs that provide insights and information about privacy initiatives and technologies.

• Make Ethereum Cypherpunk Again by Vitalik Buterin

• Ethereum Cypherpunk Manifesto by Pcaversaccio

• Ethereum Cypherpunk Starter Kit by Paul-Dylan Ennis
  

  

10. Funding

Funding includes opportunities and initiatives dedicated to financially supporting projects aimed at enhancing privacy in the Ethereum ecosystem.

Public Goods

• Gitcoin
  A platform focused on funding public goods and supporting open-source projects.

• Giveth
  A platform that enables direct donations to social projects that benefit public goods.

• Namada
  A protocol for decentralized private transactions with a focus on asset privacy.

• GCC (Gitcoin Community Council)
  A community-driven initiative within Gitcoin for governance and decision-making.

• Drips
  A platform for creating sustainable revenue through subscription contributions to projects.

• Octant
  A discovery platform for Web3 projects aimed at building sustainable ecosystems.

Venture Capitalists

• a16z crypto
  A venture capital firm supporting crypto and blockchain startups with significant investments.

• Outlier Ventures
  A venture platform focused on the development of the Web3 ecosystem.

• Polychain
  A cryptocurrency investment firm investing in blockchain projects and protocols.

• Binance
  A leading global cryptocurrency exchange that also invests in blockchain projects.

• Eden Block
  A venture capital firm focused on investing in crypto and blockchain startups.

• Consensys
  A blockchain software technology company that develops decentralized applications.

• Lunar Ventures
  European DeepTech Venture Fund, made notable investments in Ethereum-related projects.

• 1kx
  Investing at key inflection points for blockchain technologies to create breakthrough opportunities across global markets.

Individual Investors

• Vitalik Buterin
  Co-founder of Ethereum and a prominent figure in the blockchain community.

• Imogen Heap
  Musician and creative technologist known for her innovative work in music and blockchain.

• Stani Kulechov
  Founder of Aave, a decentralized finance (DeFi) lending platform.

• Joseph Lubin
  Co-founder of Ethereum and founder of ConsenSys, focusing on blockchain technology.

• Stefan George
  Co-founder and CTO of Gnosis, known for decentralized infrastructure in DeFi and DAOs.

• Hsiao-Wei Wang
  Co-Executive Director of Ethereum Foundation

• Gavin Wood
  Co-founder of Ethereum and founder of Parity Technologies (now Polkadot), known for his contributions to blockchain technology and smart contract development.

Accelerators

• LongHash
  A startup accelerator that supports companies in the blockchain and crypto space.

• COTI Builders Program
  A project focusing on providing privacy-oriented solutions.

• Alliance DAO
  A decentralized autonomous organization helping to launch and connect Web3 startups.

• Web3Privacy Now
  A community focused on building privacy-preserving solutions in Web3.

• Outlier Ventures
  A venture platform focused on the development of the Web3 ecosystem.

• BREW Berlin
  Local hub focused on (F)OSS development, providing a privacy track.

Watch Who pays for privacy? The real cost of building aligned apps by Lefteris Karapetsas at Ethereum Privacy Stack, 2026

Organizations

• Ethereum Foundation
  A nonprofit organization that supports the Ethereum ecosystem through research, development, and grants.

• Aztec Foundation
  A foundation focused on developing privacy technologies for blockchain.

• Moloch DAO
  A decentralized autonomous organization aimed at funding Ethereum development.

• Protocol Labs
  A research and development lab that supports open-source protocols.

• Logos
  An organization dedicated to advancing the use of blockchain technology.

The State Of Privacy hackathons in Ethereum

Foreword

This report maps a growing Ethereum privacy ecosystem movement. Across 40 global hackathons in 2025, builders, researchers, and explorers co-created 416 privacy-first projects. These teams are manifesting a vision of digital sovereignty, agency, and dignity for all people.

In the following pages, we present the data plainly and use it as a call to action: we must fund, mentor, and scale so the highest-impact opportunities and privacy becomes a conscious, everyday choice; not an afterthought.

Nearly 8 of every 100 projects in these hackathons put privacy first. This is a clear signal that privacy is moving from niche to mainstream. 31 of 40 hackathons produced privacy use-cases, and flagship events consistently surface the most mature efforts.

Privacy is no longer a side project, it is a civic imperative. For privacy-focused organizations and communities, the path is clear: shine light on under-resourced categories (governance, healthcare, education), expand mentorship-rich gatherings, and invest in tooling and on-ramps so newcomers can build with privacy by default.

1. Headline Metrics

We analysed 40 hackathons that attracted 10,692 hackers who created 5,194 total projects. Out of these 40 events, 31 hackathons featured privacy-focused projects. The total prize pool across all events was $4.8 million, and 417 projects were dedicated to privacy.

What this means: Privacy is no longer a niche concern in the Ethereum ecosystem. With 8% of all projects focusing on privacy and three-quarters of hackathons producing privacy use-cases, privacy-focused building has become mainstream. This represents a fundamental shift from privacy being an afterthought to becoming a core consideration for builders.

2. Top 3 events Breakdown

ETHGlobal organised 11 events that generated 3,945 submissions, of which 216 were privacy projects (representing 5.5% of their total). 

Independent organizers collectively ran 25 events with 1,047 submissions and 154 privacy projects (a much higher 14.7%). 

ETHWarsaw, though smaller with only 2 events and 50 submissions, achieved an impressive 32% privacy focus with 16 privacy projects.

What this means: Larger, global organisers like ETHGlobal bring volume and scale, attracting thousands of participants. However, niche and regional organisers—particularly those with specific privacy or technical focuses—drive significantly higher privacy intensity. ETHWarsaw's 32% privacy rate is nearly 6 times higher than ETHGlobal's 5.5%, demonstrating that specialized, community-driven events create environments where privacy innovation thrives. This suggests that funding and support should be distributed not just to mega-events, but strategically to smaller, focused gatherings that punch above their weight in privacy innovation.

3. Participation & Submissions

On average, each hackathon received 13 privacy-focused submissions, attracted 313 hackers, and generated 130 total submissions.

What this means: These averages reveal that privacy projects represent roughly 10% of all submissions (13 out of 130). The relatively modest average of 313 hackers per event suggests that smaller, more intimate hackathons are common in this dataset. This intimacy may actually benefit privacy innovation, as smaller events often allow for deeper mentorship, more focused themes, and stronger community bonds. The data supports the conclusion that targeted, mid-sized events yield higher quality privacy innovation than massive, generalist gatherings.

4. Prize Distribution

The median prize pool was $32,500, while the average prize pool was $120,000. Notably, events with prize pools under $200,000 maximized privacy intensity.

What this means: The significant gap between median ($32.5K) and average ($120K) indicates that a few very large prize pools skew the average upward, while most events operate with more modest budgets. The finding that sub-$200K events maximize privacy intensity is crucial: it suggests that throwing massive amounts of money at hackathons doesn't necessarily produce better privacy innovation. Instead, mid-sized, targeted events with specialist focus and strong mentorship outperform mega-events. This has important implications for funders: strategic, focused investment in specialized events may yield better returns than sponsoring only the largest hackathons.

5. TOP 5 Domain Distribution

Finance dominates with 153 projects representing 36.7% of all privacy work, driven by confidential swaps, private payments, and lending primitives. Social & Messaging follows with 100 projects (23.9%), reflecting growing demand for private communication tools. AI & Data Privacy captured 51 projects (12.2%), showing emerging interest in this space. Authentication & Identity had 26 projects (6.2%), while Infrastructure rounded out the top five with 14 projects (3.4%).

What this means: Finance's dominance (more than one-third of all privacy projects) reflects both the maturity of DeFi and the acute need for privacy in financial transactions. The strong showing of Social & Messaging (nearly one-quarter) indicates that builders recognize communication privacy as a fundamental human right and market need. The relatively modest showing of AI & Data Privacy (12.2%) despite its "very high" market potential suggests this is an emerging category with significant room for growth. The small numbers in Infrastructure (3.4%) are concerning, as robust privacy infrastructure is foundational for all other use cases. This distribution reveals where builders are naturally gravitating (finance, social) versus where critical gaps exist (infrastructure, governance, healthcare, education).

6. Technology Landscape

Zero-Knowledge (ZK) technology dominates with 145 projects and 310 total mentions across various implementations. Trusted Execution Environments (TEE) appeared in 18 projects, while Multi-Party Computation (MPC) was used in 32 projects. Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) appeared in just 12 projects, and 210 projects used other or custom approaches.

Within the ZK ecosystem, Circom + snarkjs led with 28 mentions, followed by Noir/Aztec with 21, Polygon zkEVM with 15, Cairo/Starknet with 8, Halo2/zkEVM with 6, and 67 other or custom implementations.

What this means: ZK technology is clearly the dominant privacy primitive in the Ethereum ecosystem, appearing in roughly one-third of all privacy projects. Its versatility—from confidential transactions to private identity to verifiable computation—makes it the Swiss Army knife of privacy tools. The fragmentation across different ZK implementations (Circom, Noir, Polygon, Cairo, etc.) suggests a healthy, competitive ecosystem but also potential developer confusion and tooling fragmentation. The relatively low adoption of FHE (12 projects) and MPC (32 projects) indicates these remain specialized tools for specific use cases rather than general-purpose solutions. The 210 "other" projects suggest significant experimentation and innovation beyond established primitives, which is healthy for long-term ecosystem development.

7. Geographic Distribution

Europe led with 17 events producing 145 privacy projects (13.1% privacy rate). Latin America hosted 8 events with 88 privacy projects (12.3%). Asia had 5 events generating 79 privacy projects (8.4%). Africa organized 2 events with 5 privacy projects (6.5%), while North America had 2 events with 20 privacy projects (3.9%). Virtual events numbered 6 with 80 privacy projects (4.3%).

What this means: Europe's leadership (17 events, 145 projects, 13.1% privacy rate) establishes it as the global hub for privacy innovation in Ethereum. This likely reflects Europe's strong privacy culture (GDPR), academic institutions focused on cryptography, and vibrant local communities. Latin America's strong showing (12.3% privacy rate) is particularly notable—it's emerging as a secondary hub with privacy rates nearly matching Europe's. This may reflect both regional interest in financial privacy and strong local organizing. Asia's lower privacy rate (8.4%) despite having active communities suggests different priorities or approaches. North America's surprisingly low performance (3.9% from just 2 events) indicates potential for growth. The fact that virtual events (4.3%) significantly underperform in-person events reinforces the importance of face-to-face interaction for privacy innovation.

8. TOP 5 Hackathons by Privacy %

ETHBelgrade achieved the highest privacy focus at 50%, meaning half of all projects were privacy-focused. ETHTokyo came second with 46.3%, followed by ETHDam at 39.4%. ZKHack Berlin reached 37.8%, and ETHLatam rounded out the top five at 33.3%.

What this means: These exceptional events demonstrate what's possible when hackathons are either explicitly privacy-focused (ZKHack Berlin) or create environments where privacy innovation thrives. ETHBelgrade's 50% rate—meaning every other project focused on privacy—is remarkable and suggests a community deeply committed to privacy values. The geographic diversity (Belgrade, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Berlin, Latin America) shows that privacy innovation isn't confined to one region. The presence of ZKHack Berlin confirms that specialized, technical events drive high privacy intensity. These events should be studied as models: What made them successful? How did they attract privacy-focused builders? What mentorship and resources did they provide? Replicating their success factors could elevate privacy focus across the broader ecosystem.

9. IRL vs. Virtual

In-person (IRL) events numbered 34 and generated 3,355 submissions, of which 337 were privacy projects, representing 10.04%. Virtual events totaled 6 with 1,839 submissions and 80 privacy projects, representing just 4.35%.

What this means: In-person hackathons produce more than double the privacy intensity (10.04%) compared to virtual events (4.35%). This 2.3x difference is significant and suggests that privacy innovation benefits particularly from face-to-face interaction. Several factors likely contribute: in-person events enable deeper mentorship relationships, facilitate spontaneous collaboration and idea exchange, create stronger community bonds, and allow for more focused, immersive experiences away from daily distractions. For privacy-focused work, which often requires deep technical understanding and benefits from expert guidance, the in-person advantage is even more pronounced. This has important implications for post-pandemic event strategy: while virtual events increase accessibility, organizations serious about advancing privacy innovation should prioritize funding and organizing in-person gatherings.

10. Underserved Categories & Market Potential

Social projects numbered 100 with high (growing) market potential but a small gap, indicating reasonable current investment. AI & Data Privacy had 51 projects with very high market potential and a medium gap, suggesting moderate underinvestment. Authentication & Identity showed 26 projects with high market potential and a medium gap.

The critical gaps emerge in DAO/Governance with only 10 projects despite very high market potential and a large gap, and Education & Onboarding with just 2 projects despite high market potential and a very large gap. Most striking is Post-Quantum Crypto with only 1 project despite high (emerging) market potential and a massive gap.

What this means: This analysis reveals where the ecosystem is failing to allocate resources relative to impact potential. Social and AI & Data Privacy, while still underfunded, are at least receiving attention. The real crisis lies in governance, education, and post-quantum cryptography.

DAO/Governance (10 projects, very high potential, large gap): As DAOs manage billions in treasury funds and make critical decisions, private voting and confidential governance are essential. Yet this receives minimal attention.

Education & Onboarding (2 projects, high potential, very large gap): Privacy tools remain difficult to use. Without educational resources and better onboarding, privacy will never achieve mainstream adoption. This is perhaps the most critical gap.

Post-Quantum Crypto (1 project, high potential, massive gap): With quantum computing advancing, current cryptographic assumptions may break within years or decades. The ecosystem is dangerously unprepared.

These gaps represent both risks (unaddressed vulnerabilities) and opportunities (high-impact areas for strategic investment). Funders and organizers should explicitly target these categories with dedicated tracks, mentorship, and prizes.

Conclusion

Key Findings:

Privacy is becoming mainstream!

The data tells a clear story: privacy has moved from the margins to the mainstream of Ethereum development. With 8% of all hackathon projects focusing on privacy and 31 of 40 events producing privacy use-cases, builders are voting with their time and energy for a more private future.

Technology landscape: Zero-Knowledge proofs dominate as the primary privacy primitive, with AI-Privacy emerging as a growth area. However, secondary primitives like FHE and MPC remain underutilized, and there's dangerous underinvestment in post-quantum cryptography.

Geographic insights: Europe leads in both volume and intensity of privacy use-cases, though it's important to note that global builders travel to European events. Latin America is emerging as a strong secondary hub with privacy rates nearly matching Europe's. In-person events dramatically outperform virtual ones, producing 2x higher privacy intensity.

Domain distribution: Finance and Social domains dominate current development, which makes sense given their maturity and clear use cases. However, critical gaps exist in Governance, Healthcare, and especially Education—areas with high impact potential but minimal current investment.

Event dynamics: Mid-sized, specialized events with focused themes and strong mentorship outperform mega-events for privacy innovation. The sweet spot appears to be events with prize pools under $200K, regional or technical focus, and intimate settings that enable deep collaboration.

Strategic Recommendations:

For Funders:

• Shift resources toward underserved high-potential categories: DAO/Governance, Education & Onboarding, and Post-Quantum Crypto

• Support mid-sized, specialized events rather than only mega-hackathons

• Prioritize in-person events, particularly in Europe and Latin America

• Create dedicated tracks and mentorship programs for privacy innovation

For Organizers:

• Study and replicate success factors from top-performing events (ETHBelgrade, ETHTokyo, ETHDam)

• Emphasize in-person formats for maximum privacy innovation

• Provide specialized mentorship from privacy experts

• Create focused themes rather than broad, general hackathons

For Builders:

• Explore underserved categories where impact potential exceeds current investment

• Consider infrastructure and education projects, not just end-user applications

• Experiment with underutilized primitives like FHE and MPC

• Prepare for post-quantum threats

For the Ecosystem:

• Recognize that privacy is no longer niche—it's mainstream and growing

• Invest in education and onboarding to make privacy accessible

• Build bridges between privacy research and practical implementation

• Create career pathways for privacy-focused developers

Summary

Active pro-privacy position in Ethereum Foundation and internal organisational change helps to foster privacy development forward. Privacy Cluster Leadership Announcement and follow up org chart helps to see privacy as a fundamental value behind EF.

The data reveals both tremendous progress and critical gaps. Privacy has achieved mainstream status in Ethereum development, with hundreds of builders dedicating thousands of hours to privacy innovation. The foundation is strong: robust ZK tooling, active communities across continents, and growing awareness of privacy's importance.

However, the ecosystem must address critical vulnerabilities: the education gap that prevents mainstream adoption, the governance gap that leaves DAOs exposed, and the post-quantum gap that threatens long-term security. Success requires strategic resource allocation toward high-impact, underserved areas.

The vision is clear: a future where privacy is not an afterthought but a default, where digital sovereignty, agency, and dignity are available to all people. The 417 privacy projects from 2025's hackathons represent steps toward that future. With continued focus, strategic investment, and community commitment, privacy can evolve from a technical feature to a fundamental right embedded in the infrastructure of the decentralised web.

Useful Links

Ethereum Privacy Ecosystem Map (download)

https://files.web3privacy.info/share/ehUXsKnM

Github research repository

research/initiatives/ethereum-privacy-ecosystem at main · web3privacy/research

Contains published reports & outputs of the research efforts within Web3Privacy Now - research/initiatives/ethereum-privacy-ecosystem at main · web3privacy/research

https://github.com

Ethereum-focused projects listed on Privacy dashboard

Explorer | Web3 Privacy Now

Explore Web3 projects focused on privacy and security

https://explorer.web3privacy.info

Web3Privacy Now web

Web3Privacy Now

Advocates worldwide are uniting to make privacy fundamental pillar of the Web3 industry, transforming it into a cultural movement that champions freedom and decentralization.

http://web3privacy.info

Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress was a gathering of cypherpunks, privacy advocates, researchers, and developers who are building the foundations of a more private and secure Ethereum ecosystem. The congress brings together diverse voices from across the blockchain privacy landscape – cryptographers, protocol developers, activists, researchers, and educators – united by a shared commitment to advancing privacy as a fundamental right in the digital age and protecting the cypherpunk ethos within Ethereum.

Stats

• 5000+ attendees

• 100+ speakers

• 50+ organisations supporting

• 20+ sessions
  
  Supporting organisations

  

100 Speakers from leading human rights projects

Tor, Freedom Of The Press Foundation, Ethereum Foundation, Protocol Labs, Electronic Frontier Foundation and many more!

Details

On the program:

The second Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress took place in Argentina, bringing together the privacy-focused Ethereum community ahead of Devconnect week. Building on the momentum from the inaugural congress, this edition focused on critical challenges facing privacy advocates and developers in the current regulatory and technological landscape.

The program featured deep technical discussions, policy debates, and community-building sessions designed to strengthen the privacy infrastructure of Ethereum. From foundational privacy protocols to cutting-edge research, the congress provided a platform for meaningful dialogue about the future of financial privacy and digital rights.

FEEL THE ATMOSPHERE

ETHEREUM CYPHERPUNK CONGRES #2 AFTERMOVIE

What it looked like

Highlights

At the beginning, there was a message...

video here

The whole event started by the opening speech from our very own co-founders. "Since day one, three years ago, we did our best to put values and principles that brought cryptography to be developed in the first place at the center of our activity and this helped us in creating and gathering amazing human beings that are advancing human freedom online". Sharing about Web3PrivacyNow, our values, the book, many events and much more that we managed to accomplish so far.

And then? Greetings from Roman Storm, developer of the open-source privacy project Tornado Cash, explaining that he was inspired in 2019 as an Ethereum developer to solve the problem of on-chain privacy. He says the project’s goal was simple but vital: to give ordinary people true privacy on Ethereum. Storm expresses deep gratitude to the community for their emotional, financial, and political support, saying it’s the reason he can keep fighting for privacy and defending open-source developers.

"Lessons Learned from Tor" by Roger Dingledine x The Tor Project

video here

"Transparency for Tor is key" states Tor Project's co-founder Roger Dingledine in his presentation, focusing on lessons from Tor. Covering importance of anonymity and transparency, showcasing how Tor works and even user-cases showing how privacy and anonymity is essential for everyone, be it radical political activist, doctor in town and everyone in between.

Roger Dingledine delivered a keynote exploring the parallels between Tor's approach to internet privacy and Ethereum's privacy challenges. This session connected decades of cypherpunk wisdom with modern blockchain privacy needs, emphasizing the importance of building robust, censorship-resistant systems.

"Kohaku: Wallet privacy on Ethereum" by Vitalik Buterin, Nick Consigny & Kassandra

video here

Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin together with Kassandra and Nick Consigny presents new set of primitives called Kohaku. Vitalik also shares more about what will Ethereum implement for improving their privacy and Kassandra and Nick Consigny goes more into Kohaku.

"Cyberfascism: what is it and how we can fight it?" by Eva Galperin x Electronic Frontier Foundation

video here

Presentation by Eva Galperin from Electronic Frontier Foundation where she describes fascism, cyberfascism, what it is and how it can be countered by us. Discusses IBM's and Microsoft's parts in helping with surveillance and urges people to build in decentralized manner and with marginalized people in mind.

"Not My Problem" by ml_sudo x Ethereum Foundation Silviculture

video here

ml_sudo chose to speak about sexism, explaining why women should work in trustless technologies, how indirect "ghost" sexism works and shows and how to challenge it and fight it. They explore the concept of "ghost sexism," a subtle and often deniable form of bias that disproportionately affects women.

They propose that trustless technology – systems built on transparency and user control – can offer a powerful tool to combat ghost sexism. They argue that by concealing gender or leveraging verifiable systems, individuals can bypass biased evaluations and create fairer outcomes. Ultimately, the speaker passionately encourages women and other underrepresented groups to actively engage in building and shaping this technology to ensure a more equitable future.

All that, while coining the term WACK!

Vitalik Buterin x Ethereum and Naomi Brockwell x Ludlow Institute- Fireside Chat

video here

The conversation centers on the critical importance of privacy in a free and progressive society. Vitalik argues that privacy is essential for individuals to live authentically, free from constant worry about how their actions will be perceived. He highlights how barriers to privacy—in areas like finance, communication, and even personal thought—are rapidly eroding, necessitating active defence. The discussion explores privacy as a foundation for individual freedom, societal order (allowing for whistleblowing and dissent), and technological progress, emphasizing that data needs to be used responsibly.

Vitalik and Naomi stress that privacy isn't just for those who have something to hide, but for anyone who deviates from the mainstream. They advocate for a shift towards proactive privacy adoption, highlighting the potential dangers of data abuse and the need for privacy-preserving technologies. The conversation concludes with a call to action, urging viewers to embrace privacy tools and become active participants in shaping a future where privacy is protected and individual freedom is upheld.

"Protecting Developers from Mercenary Spyware Abuse" by Joan Arus x Sentinel Alliance

video here

Joan Arus, co-founder of Sentinel Alliance, warns that developers building privacy-preserving or censorship-resistant tools can become targets of advanced government surveillance, drawing on his own experience leading decentralised governance and identity projects. He explains how he and his team were spied on, hacked, and infiltrated for years using mercenary spyware like Pegasus, deemed a national security threat not for wrongdoing but for the potential future use of their tools.

Arus also argues this represents an escalation of the Tornado Cash playbook, where developers are held liable for hypothetical misuse while governments deploy unaccountable surveillance that undermines encryption, privacy, rule of law, and democracy itself. He details how ambiguous terrorism laws, illegal espionage, media leaks, and judicial processes are weaponised against developers, citing real cases where such surveillance led to deaths. In response, he describes founding Sentinel Alliance to defend victims, raise awareness, pursue legal action against spyware firms and state agencies, and establish a developer legal defence fund, urging the community to share the story and support efforts to protect open-source developers and democratic freedoms.

"Cypherpunks of the world, unite!" by Renata Avila x Open Knowledge Foundation

video here

Here Renata Avila from Open Knowledge Foundation shares her thoughts and wishes for Cypherpunk movement. Discusses emerging alliances in cryptography circles, autonomous philanthropy, but also talks about WikiLeaks as example of moment that could have shaken society and help form privacy oriented movement but in the end came up as a rather divisive one.

"From Proofs to People: the Moral Responsibility of Cryptographers" by Sofia Celi x Brave

video here

Sofia Celi, researcher at Brave reflects on the ethical and moral responsibilities of cryptography and security design, grounding her talk in Latin America’s history of state surveillance and violence, such as Operation Condor, to show how data collection has been used to enable repression.

She argues that modern digital technologies risk repeating these harms if designers ignore social context, and calls for “boring cryptography”: practical, accessible, low-cost systems built by listening to people first, especially those in underrepresented regions, rather than chasing theoretical elegance. She emphasizes expanding threat models beyond abstract network attackers to include real-world abuses like intimate partner violence and child surveillance, where everyday technologies can be weaponized despite benign intent.

David Chaum message for Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress #2 participants

video here

Legendary cryptographer made a special video-message to all new & old cypherpunks announcing productive way of countering potential AI-challenges - a collaboration between mixnets xx.network & Nym.

And many more! Want to see all of the presentations? Take a look at this playlist

How did the people like it?
Few words from our visitors:

Summary

Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress #2 successfully brought together the privacy-focused Ethereum community during a critical moment for digital rights and blockchain privacy. Held in Argentina during Devconnect week, the congress provided an intimate setting for deep technical discussions, policy debates, and community building around privacy infrastructure.

The event highlighted both the progress and challenges facing privacy advocates in the Ethereum ecosystem. With prominent voices like Roger Dingledine, Vitalik Buterin, and Naomi Brockwell, the congress bridged different aspects of the privacy movement – from Tor's foundational work to Ethereum's cutting-edge cryptographic research and mainstream privacy education.

Key themes included developer protection in hostile regulatory environments, making privacy accessible to everyday users, and advancing the technical infrastructure needed for private transactions on Ethereum. The congress reinforced the cypherpunk values at the heart of Ethereum while charting a practical path forward for privacy development.

Team

Web3Privacy Now: Mykola, PG, Coinmandeer, beth, Lucilia, Humbaba, Peter, BabyBit, Robert, Alisher, Kassandra, James....

Links

• Event Website: https://congress.web3privacy.info/

• Program: https://congress.web3privacy.info/program.html

• Web3Privacy Now: https://web3privacy.info/

Links

• Event Website: https://congress.web3privacy.info/

• Program: https://congress.web3privacy.info/program.html

• Web3Privacy Now: https://web3privacy.info/

2025 - the year of care. Towards liberating privacy. Together.

EVENTS

• 34 events + 6 third-party hackathons

• 16 own, 18 third-party events

• 10.000 visitors

• 130 speakers & mentors

Highlights

Cypherpunk Congress #2 - the biggest Cypherpunk event in the world facilitated by grassroots - 4500 people: https://congress.web3privacy.info

• 100 speakers from Eva Galperin (Electronic Frontier Foundation) to Richard Stallman (Free Software Foundation)

• Exclusive announcements: David Chaum on mixnet partnership (xx.network + Nym), Kohaku wallet launch by Vitalik Buterin, Nicolas Consigny, Kassandra;

• 20 partners from Ethereum Foundation to Zcash

Cypherpunk Retreat - close collaboration between 100 tech leaders: http://cypherpunk.camp

Three-day event with dedicated working groups (decentralised identity, decentralised messaging, etc). Wonderful people from Bluesky, Tor Project, Internet Archive, Oxford, Session, Ethereum Foundation, Filecoin Foundation & many more. Continued with fellowships working on, for example, stablecoin privacy, further working group on Decentralised Messaging or Identity, or partnerships like Ethereum Foundation & Tor Project (which led to "onionizing Ethereum" narrative).

Nov

Ethereum Privacy Stack x collab with PSE/EF

web: http://eps25.web3privacy.info 
talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KEdd1uR6XE&list=PLSsVHWrO8Yh2ZGBLyQRJAZNymvVCOlJJl

• 2000+ visitors

• 60 speakers from Vitalik Buterin to Roger Dingledine (Tor Project co-founder)

• The biggest privacy event at Devconnect

  

Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress #2

web: congress.web3privacy.info 
playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKJ1ZJrkKWA&list=PLSsVHWrO8Yh06WlNcYKtIDMjPiUXJjADu

Infinite Privacy x PG

Cosy meetup alongside Safe Foundation, WomnX privacy, Zisk, Fluidkey: https://luma.com/f89mul0v

Privacy Hub
https://forum.devcon.org/t/arg-community-hub-privacy-on-ethereum/7858/

• Bitcoin Latam conference x Mykola https://labitconf.com

Oct

• Rome meetup https://luma.com/8jv4odjn

Sep

• Cypherpunk Retreat http://cypherpunk.camp 
  

  

• Tokyo meetup

  

  web: https://luma.com/k71p60cb 
  playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5u8wRp1Qro&list=PLSsVHWrO8Yh0MqsTD1LAfXesH--KJDnpE&pp=0gcJCbEEOCosWNin

• ETHWarsaw x mf & Peter

August

• Privacy Summit (Crecimiento) x collab

July

• 10 years of Ethereum cypherpunk x spaces 
  

  

• Web3Summit x mf

  

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2sDsddJyLo

• Occupy EthCC meetup https://luma.com/goib96as

June

• W3PN Hacks
  

  

  web: https://hackathon.web3privacy.info
  playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuRREyYdFTA&list=PLSsVHWrO8Yh245wHHSb7q0w1_obSx1Cfv

  

• DappCon stage curation

  

  playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arW5Y4dxp90&list=PLSsVHWrO8Yh0FJ8ntD0nLa4S7xx0XSbOQ

• Funding The Commons partnership

  

• Protocol Berg x mf
  New Cypherpunk Generation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WvcqnhigIo
  

  

• d/acc x Mykola https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD4_mn95aIY

  

• d/acc x Alina: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LidpqV9-t7g

  

• Cluj meetup
  vibes: https://x.com/sasha_tanase/status/1937934126230716696 

  

• ETHCluj x mf
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rzFKEWBybA

  

• Cypherave x Berlin

  

May

• Prague meetup https://luma.com/jhp1iapn

  

  

• ETHPRague x Mykola, mf
  Panel Ethereum Privacy Roadmap: Mario Havel x EF, Serinko x Nym, Emil x RailgunDAO, Lasha x Rarimo, moderated by Mykola Siusko x Web3Privacy now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5iMds9_s90
  
  Panel Going beyond DeFi privacy by building Self-Sovereign apps: Alexander Kurbatov x Rarimo, moderated by Mykola Siusko x Web3Privacy now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAmkk8N3Bi0
  

  

  New Cypherpunk Generation by mf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqTLKi1mZ40

• Amsterdam meetup

  

  web: https://luma.com/73go30ij
  videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJtdw8v_Ytw&list=PLSsVHWrO8Yh3ks5wlGTc1Dozy-smba9LL

• ETHDam x PG (talk) + mf (talk + judging)
  Privacy as an Ecosystem by pg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW0VTklTrF4

  

  New Cypherpunk Generation by mf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qj-b1SKPQs

• Crypto Rave [Brazil] x Mykola

  

• ETHDublin x Mykola

  

  panel feat Vitalik Buterin, Nick Almond,
  talk

• Public Goods space May 15

Apr

• Bucharest meetup https://luma.com/9ni8jbzx

• ETHBucharest x mykola (talk + judging)

  

• Memathon

• Jarrad Hope spaces https://x.com/i/spaces/1BdxYqNDqMYxX 

• Naples uni x PG

Feb

• Urbe hub opening
  pg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59C9zVNQZxk
  

  

• Two high schools in Italy (Naples) x PG

ADVOCACY

Roman Storm [ex-Tornado Cash] Cypherpunk Congress #2 opening speech

Joan Arus from Sentinel Alliance on Pegasus/NSO group targeting open-source developers & how we can fight back.

PROJECTS

• Explorer
  http://explorer.web3privacy.info

  

  • v 1.5 published https://github.com/web3privacy/explorer-data/discussions/1382 

  • 787 projects listed

  • 1971 total commits

• Academy
  http://academy.web3privacy.info

  

  • 321 students

  • 12 courses

  • 41 expert interviews

  • 4 languages (Spanish, French, Chinese, English)

  • 500 lessons
    
    Courses

  

  • Privacy 101: https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/privacy-101-course

  • Spanish: https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/privacy-101-espanol

  • French: https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/privacy-101-francais

  • Chinese: https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/privacy-101-chinese
    

  • WTF is GDPR and Why Should I Care: https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/wtf-is-gdpr-and-why-should-i-care

  • P2P & Commons by Michel Bauwens: https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/p2p-commons-by-michel-bauwens

  • Meme the system: https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/meme-the-system

  • Neo-Cypherpunk 101: https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/neo-cypherpunk-1011

  • Glitch the System: A Crash Course in AI Disruption: https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/crash-course-ai-disruption

  • DeFi Punk 101. Finance with Cypherpunk Values: https://academy.web3privacy.info/l/pdp/defi-punk-101-finance-with-cypherpunk-values

  • French: https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/defi-punk-101-finance-avec-valeurs-cypherpunk

  • Spanish: https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/defi-punk-101-finanzas-con-valores-cypherpunk
    

• Newsletter
  http://news.web3privacy.info

  

  • 20 newsletters has been published

  • news centered around human, not finances

  • added Tool of the Week bracket sharing new and inovating privacy oriented tools for users
    

• Builder pack
  https://build.web3privacy.info

  

  • V2 launched on a new website

  • 250+ tools added

  • integrated into hackathons: ETHGlobal, ETHRome, ETHBratislava, ETHDublin
    

• Stacks
  https://stacks.web3privacy.info

  

  • new web deployed

  • 45 stacks uploaded from Roger Dingledine/Tor to Redshiftzero/Freedom of the Press
    

    

• Book

  

  • 10 contributions have been submitted from David Chaum to Peter Van Valkenburgh

  • an editor has been found

  • publishing negotiations
    

• Awards
  http://awards.web3privacy.info

  

  2025: 50 contributions submitted: https://drive.proton.me/urls/6WHY21N5J0#AJR2xQpTOBPn
  
  2024: 90 contributions submitted.
  
  winners announced:
  

• Privacyproof 2024 awards: Projects category winners: https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy-now/privacyproof-2024-awards-projects-category-winners

• Exciting Innovation category winners: https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy-now/privacyproof-2024-awards-exciting-innovation-category-winners

• News & events category winners: https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy-now/privacyproof-2024-awards-news-events-category-winners

• Doxxer category winners: https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy-now/privacyproof-2024-awards-doxxer-category-winners
  

• Radio x Podcast
  https://web3privacy.github.io/web3privacy-radio/

  

  • prototype has been made

  • Wassim Z. Alsindi’s mix has been uploaded
    

• Generator
  https://ideas.web3privacy.info

  

  • new web updates made by Giacomo

  • 50 ideas has been uploaded from Vitalik Buterin to pcaversaccio

• Shop
  https://web3privacy.myspreadshop.net

  

  • web has been launched

  • 50 designs uploaded (t-shirts, posters, stickers, cups etc)

• Launchpad
  https://github.com/web3privacy/Cypherpunk-Launchpad
  

  

  • the pilot has been launched

  • mentors: Vaclav Pavlin x Logos, Cat McGee x Aztec, Alex Linton x Session, PG x Web3Privacy now, Peter Farbey x Web3Privacy now

  • Canary team has been incubated https://x.com/Canarysafe/status/1993339887647330808
    

• Zine by vovo, Mykola & Peter

  

  

MEDIA

1. Videos
   

   

   • 254 videos (total)

   • 54,147 views

   • Average view duration 5:05
     
     - Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MywIUSJAykI
     
     - United In Privacy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWDF3B8hT6M
     
     - Neo-cypherpunk culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-ehC8545Q0
     
     - Interviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzjUyM8zHlE&list=PLSsVHWrO8Yh1WwICFUsZnB__ThC9bhgqM

   

   
   

   

   
   What does privacy mean to you?
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WTpGo8nwnA
   
   Over 100 post-event talks

   

   • Crafted Tornado Cash documentary concept

1. Articles

   

   • Neo-cypherpunk Era begins now by Mykola Siusko:
     https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy/the-neo-cypherpunk-era-begins-now

   • Getting Serious about Ethereum Privacy by Vitalik Buterin :
     https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy-now/getting-serious-about-ethereum-privacy

   • Can Privacy Be a Public Good (and Still Survive)? by Alina Latinina:
     https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy-now/can-privacy-be-a-public-good-and-still-survive

   • The EU’s GDPR Update Could Kill Public Blockchains — Unless We Act Now:
     https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy-now/the-eu-s-gdpr-update-could-kill-public-blockchains-unless-we-act-now

   • Privacy as Freedom of Behavior by Peter Farbey:
     https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy-now/privacy-as-freedom-of-behavior

   • Cypherpunks 2.0, 3.0, 4.0: The Beginning of a New Era by Mykola Siusko: https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy-now/cypherpunks-2-0-3-0-4-0-the-beginning-of-a-new-era

   • Rethinking Freedom in the Digital Age: The Rise of the Carepunks by PG: https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy-now/rethinking-freedom-in-the-digital-age-the-rise-of-the-carepunks

   • Cypherpunk Hacker class 2.0 by Mykola Siusko:
     https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy-now/cypherpunk-hacker-class-2-0

3. Maps

• Landscape map (v1, v2) https://github.com/web3privacy/research/blob/main/initiatives/privacy-landscape-map/privacy-landscape-map.md

• ETH Landscape https://drive.proton.me/urls/5JWNH67RXG#boqMgRJNkUu3

• LATAM map https://drive.proton.me/urls/4B8Q6GHR4R#6NIyVIUejBmz

4. Neo-cypherpunk assets
   
   - starter kit:

   

   - manifesto

   

   - design materials:

   

   RESEARCH

   Ethereum Privacy Ecosystem Mapping

   

   GitHub https://github.com/web3privacy/research/tree/main/initiatives/ethereum-privacy-ecosystem/notes
   

   Midyear report https://x.com/web3privacy/status/1949831260991287567

   

   Privacy audit https://hackmd.io/2IRrRsLcQyKo1XOwAFABBA

COLLABORATIONS

• Gitcoin x PSE

• Drips

• Funding The Commons

• PSE

• Protocol Labs

• Gnosis x Dappcon

• Logos

• Womxn In Privacy

GRANTS

received grants

• GCC on Academy

• Ethereum Foundation on Ethereum Privacy Ecosystem Mapping
  
  PGF: Namada - 52 ETH
  https://forum.namada.net/t/web3privacy-now-donor-drop-allocations/1633
  
  gave grants

• WomnXn in privacy https://winprivacy.org

• jensei x Ethereum Privacy Hackathon Research https://x.com/web3privacy/status/2000590048115212645

• researched 40 hackathons in 2025 with over $34M in prizes
  

  

  • 30 hackathons had privacy submissions

  • listed 417 privacy projects from those hackathons

  • analysed all the data gathered: https://github.com/web3privacy/research/tree/main/initiatives/ethereum-privacy-ecosystem/resources/hackathons
    

• Canary x Launchpad https://x.com/web3privacy/status/2002046779643351071

• Academy translations https://academy.web3privacy.info/p/defi-punk-101-finance-avec-valeurs-cypherpunk
  
  PUBLIC GOODS
  

• Collected & distributed: EUR100.000 to privacy projects from Tor to Devpack

• Participated in Giveth and Gitcoin rounds (received ~$2,855 from 51 contributors)

• Collaborated with

• Drips x Privacy Awards 2024 (raised ~$10,995): https://optimism.drips.network/app/drip-lists/46441013481627019632859175771245733399752255312769848791334977723541

  • Privacy Stewards of Ethereum x Gitcoin Privacy Round (distributed ~$145,000): http://gitcoin.privote.live
    

    

MEMBERSHIP

• Protocol Labs & Gnosis

PARTNERSHIPS

• 24: Zcash, Crecimiento, Aztec, Vocdoni, Enclave, Human.tech, Status, Fhenix, Mask, Logos, Brevis, Consensys Diligence, Book of Ethereum, Swarm, Intmax, Calimero, Midnight, Nillion, idOS, Rarimo, Namada, Ethereum Community Fund, Ethereum Foundation, Edge

BRANDING
Updated our branding

• Published branding (posters, t-shirts, stickers): https://drive.proton.me/urls/3SHV98JKMW#b7sJB494unLs

• Posters

  

• Shirts

  

• Stickers

COMMUNITY

• 15 000 followers across socials

• 10 000 000 impressions

• 300 000 Engagements
  
  Join on Telegram: https://t.me/+GSx-sNJPFtc4OTlk
  Signal (send request)

OTHER

• Forum
  https://forum.web3privacy.info 
  

  

• Portal

• Decentralised event pack

• Privacy hackathons (from Warsaw to Berlin): different team members participated in 10 hackathons, won 5 of them like Warsaw https://x.com/0xfarbey/status/1965045992254034240 or ETHGlobal

• Neo-cypherpunk sticker packs for Signal & Telegram

  

Thank you to every contributor.
Change won't be possible without your time, energy, effort, attention & care.

Yours, Web3Privacy now collective.
PG, Coinmandeer, Babybit, Beth, Mykola, Recursor, Max, Peter, Robert, Jensei, Lucilia.

See you in Mumbai @ Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress #3

register: https://luma.com/spsnos9t

Be it drop of new Debuan, ZCash value skyrocketing or Mullvad shifting their browser policy, we believe you can find whatever sparks your interest in this week's newsletter. So enjoy and we hope to see you in Argentina!

New tool of the week

• Devuan 6 Excalibur! Good news for those who like Debian but not systemd

Insights

• Devuan 6 Excalibur has been released

• US's license plate surveillance logs shows reveal police search for Romani and gypsy vehicles

• Wired's Lily Han Newman says that the government shutdown ss a ticking cybersecurity time bomb

• New malware called PromptFlux uses gemini to rewrite and hide itself in real time

• Commercial spyware Landfall found in Samsung Galaxy's since day zero. Targets were mainly from Middle East

Knowledge

• Learn how to turn off Meta's personalized ads

• EFF Teams Up With AV Comparatives to Test Android Stalkerware Detection by Major Antivirus Apps

• New California law regarding data collection by web browsers could set a standard for whole country

• Price of privacy focused coin ZCASH has jumped tenfold

• Mullvad shuts down Leta Search proxy

Inspiration: Going On(Line) an offering of media from the web

• Listen to Dyne.org's one and only Jaromil on why hackers won't save the world (and why that's a good thing)

• Take our own Web3 Privacy Now courses through our Academy

• EFFecting Change: This Title Was Written by a Human

Inspiration: Going Off(Line) an offering of IRL events

• Nov 16 - Web3Privacy Now Congress II Buenos Aires

• Nov 18 - DevconnectHER | Career Lab & Job Fair Buenos Aires

• Nov 21 - Ethereum Privacy Stack

• Dec 27-30 - 39th Chaos Communication Congress Hamburg

• Mar 6-7 2026 - Logos Network's Parallel Society Lisabon

New tool of the week

• Winner of Gitcoin Privacy round: Dev3Pack and their Privacy bootcamp

Insights

• See the results of Gitcoin Privacy Round:

• European Union Council withdraws their plan for Chat Control again, after public pushback

• Proton launches Data Breach Observatory to track unreported leaks from darkweb

• WORM's private-proof-of-burn zkSNARK circuits fully open-source:

• Windows' vulnerabilities under active exploitation

• 
  

Knowledge

• Long read on UK's data tracking of kids from the day they are born

• Russia blocks people from making new accounts on WhattsApp and Telegram

• Ex-L3Harris executive admits to selling trade secrets to Russian firm

• Tanzanian governemnt imposed internet shutdown during voting

• Energy prices rising up due to usage of AI

Inspiration: Going On(Line) an offering of media from the web

• Take our own Web3 Privacy Now courses through our Academy

• Stop confusing privacy, anonymity and security

• "Let's sue the government"| EFF's Lisa Femia duscussion about ideological social media surveillance**

• EFFecting Change: This Title Was Written by a Human

Inspiration: Going Off(Line) an offering of IRL events

(new/changes in bold)

• Nov 7-8 - SeaGL conference Seattle

• Nov 16 - Web3Privacy Now Congress II Buenos Aires

• Nov 18 - DevconnectHER | Career Lab & Job Fair Buenos Aires

• Nov 21 - Ethereum Privacy Stack

• Dec 27-30 - 39th Chaos Communication Congress Hamburg

• Mar 6-7 2026 - Logos Network's Parallel Society Lisabon