🔏Privacy in blockchains

Privacy is a fundamental concern in the context of blockchain technology. In traditional centralized systems, privacy is often managed through access controls and encryption, but the decentralized and transparent nature of blockchains complicates matters. The EVM, as a state-transition engine for decentralized applications, inherently lacks confidentiality & anonymity, meaning that all data sent, stored and processed to/by it is visible to everyone. This over transparency may not align with the expectations of businesses, communities, and individuals who require a certain degree of discretion in their interactions.

Addressing these privacy concerns is crucial for the wider adoption and acceptance of blockchain technology in various industries. Without adequate privacy protections, businesses may hesitate to embrace blockchain solutions due to fears of sensitive data exposure, potential regulatory issues, or competitive disadvantages. Moreover, individuals may be reluctant to engage with blockchain-based systems if they cannot maintain control over the privacy of their personal information.

To mitigate these concerns, blockchain developers and researchers are actively exploring solutions to enhance privacy within blockchain architectures. These solutions often involve the integration of advanced cryptographic techniques to enable secure and private transactions. Such techniques may involve ZKP (zero-knowledge proofs), GC (garbled circuits), sMPC (secure multiparty computation), FHE (fully homomorphic encryption) and TEEs (trusted execution environments). By implementing robust privacy mechanisms, blockchain platforms can offer users the confidentiality they expect while preserving the transparency and integrity inherent to blockchain technology.

Furthermore, addressing privacy concerns in blockchains is not only about meeting regulatory requirements or business needs but also about upholding fundamental principles of autonomy, dignity, and freedom of choice. Soda Labs develops and implements a core technology called gcEVM, a garbled-circuits-based privacy preserving EVM extension, that addresses, for the first time, all these concerns.