gm, readers.
At Automata we work on protecting privacy and fairness. And in this newsletter, we find more reasons to talk about it. Explore headlines and catch up on the biggest crypto news in Web3 privacy.
This week:
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Privacy concerns spark investigation into Worldcoin's operations in Hong Kong
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Ripple chairman Chris Larsen was hacked for 213 million XRP
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Binance announces Feb 20 delisting of privacy token Monero (XMR). Aragon, Multichain and Vai are among others to be delisted.
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illumineX, a confidential EVM DEX, launches on Oasis Sapphire Mainnet for a safer, privacy-enabled DeFi future
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Railway Wallet open sources code, empowering Ethereum developers to create custom privacy wallets and applications
Zooming into ZK:
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Citrea debuts as Bitcoin’s first ZK rollup, allowing for advanced applications without compromising security of the Bitcoin network
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Alt Layer proposes decentralized verification for BTC-secured rollups amid Babylon's BTC staking concept
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Wormhole stays committed to trust-minimization, unveils ZK roadmap
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Starknet teams up with Celestia to empower high-throughput Layer-3s leveraging Celestia's Data Availability layer
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Aligned Layer builds verification and aggregation layer atop Eigen Layer, enabling cost-effective verification of any SNARK proof in Ethereum
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zkRefuel launches as first gas station powered by both Polyhedra’s ZK Proof technology and LayerZero’s security
Conversations you missed:
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SmartWhales shares about the confidential trading layer built on Oasis Sapphire and Oasis Privacy Layer
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Bitget hosts AMA with zkLink, discussing the need for Layer 3s in the era of Layer 2s
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ATOR organizes livestream featuring live demo of network MVP and binary, alongside latest updates
We dive into the details, so you don’t have to:
Binance is moving to delist Monero, the privacy-focused token, on February 20. Privacy coins like Monero use stealth addresses to obscure transaction details, making them less favourable to regulators and law enforcement. Previously, OKX and other exchanges had also delisted XMR alongside privacy coins like Dash (DASH) and ZCash (ZCH). Despite this, Monero remains steadfast in its commitment to privacy, garnering support from the privacy community like Kraken, Oasis, and Nym, who stress privacy as a fundamental human right.
https://twitter.com/monero/status/1754877964133552501
Hong Kong's Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) is investigating Worldcoin over privacy concerns, particularly regarding the handling of personal data, including iris scans. The PCPD executed warrants and searched six premises controlled by Worldcoin in Hong Kong as part of the investigation. Worldcoin's use of iris-scanning technology for identity verification has drawn regulatory attention globally, resulting in service suspensions in Kenya and temporary halts to iris scans in India.
Railway Wallet has released its code as open-source under a GPL v2 license, enabling Ethereum developers to create their own privacy-focused wallets and applications. Praised by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin as a leading 'second-generation' privacy solution, Railway's privacy wallet is the preferred frontend for the RAILGUN privacy system on Ethereum and EVM chains. This move aligns with Buterin's vision to 'make Ethereum cypherpunk again.'
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This newsletter is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional financial advice or interpreted as investment advice. Cryptocurrencies are volatile assets and you should always do your own research before making any informed decisions when investing or trading.