April 25, 2024

Vitalik Buterin suggested using hidden addresses to anonymize Ethereum users

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Vitalik Buterin suggested using hidden addresses to anonymize Ethereum users

The co-founder of Ethereum stated the need to find a solution for the privacy of the network, since all information contained in the blockchain is public by default.

Vitalik Buterin called this a task that can be solved by hidden addresses that can make peer-to-peer transactions, the transfer of non-fungible tokens, and registration in the Ethereum Domain Name System (ENS) anonymous, protecting user data.

The recipient of crypto assets can create and store an "expense key", which will then beAn address that can be registered with ENS is passed to the sender, who cryptographically calculatesA meta address to create a stealthy address belonging to the recipient.transfer crypto assets to the recipient's stealth address in addition to publishing a temporary key to confirm that the stealth address belongs to the recipientAs a result, a new stealth address is created for each transaction.

Buterin noted that along with the mechanism for hiding keys, it is necessary to use the Diffie-Hellman exchange protocol, which maps unique addresses to the public key.This will mask the connection between the stealth address and the user's meta address.Ethereum's co-founder mentioned zk-SNARK's zero-knowledge proof technology, which can alsoHowever, he noted that in this case, even for a single transaction, it can beA large volume of additional gas will be required.

According to Buterin, the proposed concept of stealth addresses provides a different kind of privacy thanTornado Cash, which is given by the cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash. Designated by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Tornado Cash canhide transfers of major fungible crypto assets, be it ETH or other ERC-20-based altcoins.However, it is difficult for a mixer to ensure the confidentiality of transactions with little-known ERC-20-based crypto assets, and this is relevant for NFT transfers, assuresButerin.

"Today, basic stealth addresses can be implemented quite quickly, and they will significantly increaseOf course, support will require some work on the part of the wallet.However, I believe that wallets should develop a multi-address model," he arguesco-founder of ETH.

Recently, Vitalik Buterin spoke about the prospects of zk-STARK and suggested that in 10-20 yearsThis technology will occupy the same important place as blockchain.In addition, the co-founder of Ethereum believes that the creation of inflation-resistant stablecoins and access to the Internetthrough Ethereum will become important advances in the crypto industry.