Principle 4 of 10
Privacy by Default
Transactions must be private unless the sender explicitly opts into transparency.
Systems where privacy is optional have a fundamental weakness: the set of private transactions is small, making statistical analysis trivial. When every transaction is private by default, every transaction contributes to every other's anonymity set. This is not a marginal improvement — it is a qualitative difference.
Scoring Rubric
| Score | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 7–10 | All transactions shielded by default; transparent transfers are opt-in; viewing keys available for voluntary disclosure. |
| 4–6 | Privacy available but not default; or default privacy with trusted setup. |
| 0–3 | No transaction privacy; or privacy only for a special transaction type. |
Data Sources
- Transaction analysis via chain explorers
- Shielded pool size and usage rates
- CoinMetrics