A Deeper Look at Privacy in Crypto

What are the criteria for a good privacy coin? Is actual privacy about theory or about experience and anonymity sets?
An interesting discussion on privacy coins with a Dash enthusiast and an independent cryptographic researcher. We go over some issues they take with my book (http://cryptoramble.com/guide), and talk about comparing privacy coins.

00:00 The conversation starts a bit slow and meta
17:02 James joins in to discuss the meat of the matter, comparing privacy coins and a specific focus on anonymity sets
53:05 The conversation steers towards one of my favourite topics - adoption!

Here are some links that James provided me with re the claims on anonymity sets:

- First a tweet by Vitalik Buterin on issues with Monero's anonymity set: https://www.ccn.com/vitalik-buterin-eyes-research-on-privacy-coin-moneros-traceability/

- Vitalik was responding to a Professory Emin Gun Sirer of Cornell: https://twitter.com/el33th4xor/status/1126897314352779264

But the response from the Monero community seemed mostly hostile.

- This link shows the importance of anonymity sets when it comes to communication networks like TOR. http://dedis.cs.yale.edu/dissent/papers/provpriv12.pdf

- And this Zcoin page talks about some anonymity sets of privacy coins: https://zcoin.io/what-is-sigma-and-why-is-it-replacing-zerocoin-in-zcoin/

As I say in the video, I now have a better understanding of how people measure the effectiveness of privacy in privacy coins, with a focus on the 'noise' vs the 'theory'.

It was also new to me to learn about cryptography vs steganography. I had never even heard the word steganography before, and it sounds a bit like stenography.

I apologise for not having better audio.

Thanks for listening!

- - -
Credits:
Music is either
Aviators - Infinity Awaits Us (Space Fantasy BGM | Royalty Free Album) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sisGSwT2eN0

Music by: Sirius Beat - The Cosmos
Link: http://youtu.be/Bkg08NvtvBU

Background video is either images from the Hubble telescope or
Video from the Amazing Space YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyExswc5j7U
Recorded by the SELENE Lunar Orbiter - images are copyright JAXA / NHK
SELENE , better known in Japan by its nickname Kaguya, was the second Japanese lunar orbiter spacecraft following the Hiten probe]

Produced by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) and the National Space Development Agency (NASDA), the spacecraft was launched on September 14, 2007. After successfully orbiting the Moon for a year and eight months, the main orbiter was instructed to impact on the lunar surface near the crater Gill on June 10, 2009.

- - -
Tips are welcome!

Particl: SPH1WAYtbWSLsXvnoNWoUTwRKDqkXEay9iHVcwfsj7pTvKwobBY4SgAcKJGoFXXRArV2Fvcnug6aBEbDjsXEvM19P86uV7oi5qbjzz

Bitcoin: 1GXgFVuXFBcdYiw23EsRyLHRqBxnU2FKUj

- - -
Find me elsewhere:
https://desi-rae.com
http://justthinkingoutloud.tv/watch