OPINIONATED: The Future of Your Privacy – Feat. Dan Jeffries

02/04/22 • 30 min

The cypherpunks dreamed of a world where a person’s information would be revealed only if that individual so desired. A legendary group of cryptographers who came together in the 1990s, they fought back against government attempts to create backdoors to encryption and enforce key escrow.

The cypherpunks laid the groundwork for the crypto revolution we see today. But, arguably, says the futurist Dan Jeffries, theirs is a dream deferred. Today, we’re more watched and surveilled than ever and the dominant internet business models are based on a quid pro quo of “your data, their free-services.”

Where do we go from here?

In an interview for CoinDesk’s “Opinionated” podcast, Jeffries argues that we need to get away from political messaging around privacy. That doesn’t work: Not enough people care about privacy to pay for it and ensure it. Most of us don’t care until intrusions of privacy become material to our well-being.

Instead, we have to make privacy a part of the design of products, whether that’s money transactions or informational ones. “Make privacy the plumbing, not the marketing tagline,” Jeffries says.

Relatedly, the “Opinionated” team – Ben Schiller, Anna Baydakova and Danny Nelson – also discuss the failure of the Libra/Diem Facebook/Meta stablecoin project and look at what it means for the future of digital currency.

Does its demise indicate that governments hold the cards when it comes to issuing currencies, or that open-source projects like Bitcoin or Ethereum are more likely to succeed than closed systems like Facebook’s?

Tune in to listen to the discussion.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

The Trojan Horse of Privacy by Dan Jeffries

Reflecting on Facebook’s Hilarious, Well Deserved Crypto Failure by David Z. Morris

This episode was produced, announced and edited by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Where do we go from here?

Tune in to listen to the discussion.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

The Trojan Horse of Privacy by Dan Jeffries

Reflecting on Facebook’s Hilarious, Well Deserved Crypto Failure by David Z. Morris

This episode was produced, announced and edited by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Previous Episode

OPINIONATED: To Hide or Not to Hide? That’s the Bitcoiner’s Question

Crypto has deep roots in the privacy space. But today’s bitcoiners aren’t quite as skittish about sharing their ID as the maximalists of yesteryear were. This week on “Opinionated,” Lili Rhodes of Foundation Devices argues why they should. Keeping one’s identity hidden – away from the government, from companies, from counterparties – is a table-stakes demand in the privacy game.

Does it have to be? Anna Baydakova, Danny Nelson and Ben Schiller spar over the nature of modern-day privacy, where and why it's necessary, and whether bitcoin has been “corrupted” by those who link trades with names. For those who think it has, buying beyond the banks and exchanges is a must. Check out CoinDesk’s “Privacy Week” package for an inside look.

You scanned your ID at the bitcoin checkout, anon? Anna wrote a guide to help you do better next time ;)

This episode was produced, announced and edited by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Next Episode

OPINIONATED: Smarter Smart Contracts With Artificial Intelligence

Will AI be coming to DeFi anytime soon?

Joining Anna Baydakova and Ben Schiller on “Opinionated,” is Jesus Rodriguez, CEO of analytics platform IntoTheBlock. Rodriguez explores a future where artificial intelligence merges with decentralized finance (DeFi) to create an even smarter, more automated and possibly better regulated DeFi.

Machine learning and AI are rapidly becoming innovative solutions to software problems across a variety of applications, and Rodriguez sees AI in DeFi as the next logical step. Integrating AI solutions and analysis into DeFi protocols could have vast impacts to user protection, contract efficiency and market dynamics.

AI integration could be used to predict major market moves, prevent undesirable usage of contracts and even potentially in financial regulation of DeFi platforms. While the possibilities sound endless, are they practical?

This episode was produced, announced and edited by Michele Musso with additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.