Privacy: podcast episodes, research and news
Overview
Privacy in crypto means being able to hold, send and use digital assets, and to communicate, without exposing every detail. That includes exposure to the public, to companies and to anyone watching a blockchain. Most blockchains are transparent by default: anyone can trace balances and payments between addresses. Messages, metadata and the links between wallets can reveal even more. Privacy is therefore something builders have to design for from the start, not a feature they can add later.
That idea runs through our privacy episodes:
- Logos. Dr. Corey Petty, a computational physicist turned security engineer, argues that privacy can't be bolted on. He connects it to AI and to building parallel institutions.
- Session. Chris McCabe, recorded at EthCC, starts from a question most projects skip: what actually improves when a messenger runs on a decentralized network?
- Cake Wallet. SethForPrivacy explains why Ethereum users still have few good privacy options.
- Zano. Quinten van Welzen describes the privacy wave of late 2025 as a return to crypto's roots. "Crypto was always meant to be private," he said, pointing out that the Bitcoin white paper has a section on privacy.
Privacy also means control over your own keys. Guy-Louis Grau of Keycard explains an open hardware wallet with no proprietary firmware and no built-in upsells. Louise of Ryder shows how social recovery lets trusted friends help you regain access instead of relying on a seed phrase.
Privacy keeps running into regulation, from tax reporting to rules on mixers and privacy coins. Our Blockpit and Coincub episode covers what new reporting rules mean for ordinary users and where privacy fits in.
We treat privacy as a practical question as much as a principle: what leaks, to whom, and what it costs to stop it. The guests here are wallet makers, protocol designers and privacy advocates, and they don't always agree on how far privacy should go. This hub collects their episodes alongside our privacy research and news.
Disclosure: Hodl Up works with Coincub.
Episodes5 episodes
Dr. Corey Petty: Privacy Can't Be Bolted On
Dr. Corey Petty on why crypto's adoption looks like traditional finance on the internet, why privacy has to sit beneath the ledger rather than on it, and who controls the AI pipeline. Plus an undocumented way to mine your first transaction and bootstrap an anonymity set.
Session and the Fight for Real Private Messaging
Privacy was never a trend. Privacy is a basic right that every human should have. Chris knows that. With Session, they are making privacy a priority for over 1.7 million users.
Privacy Comes First, Always
As institutions are coming in, crypto is moving further away from Satoshi’s ideals… is that a good thing?
True blockchain privacy is rare, still
Privacy coins are still misunderstood, and a lot of people still do not grasp the risks of transparent finance, custodial systems, or assets that can be frozen without warning. Satoshi envisioned a private Bitcoin in the future. How far away are we from Nakamoto's vision as an industry?
Crypto Taxes Have Finally Been Enforced. Do Them.
The industry is finally preaching privacy, but reporting frameworks like CARF are already being implemented. Alongside Sergiu Hamza, Florian Wimmer, founder of Blockpit, explains if there’s still a path for "private compliance."
Research and guides1 article
News2 stories
See all 2 stories in the news archiveGuests who discussed it6 guests
Dr. Corey PettyChief Evangelist at Logos1 episodePrivacyAI
Chris McCabeCo-founder at Session1 episodePrivacySecurity
Seth for PrivacyCEO at Cake Wallet1 episodePrivacyCustody
Mr. Kwibs (Quinten)Head of Marketing at Zano1 episodePrivacy
Florian WimmerCEO & Founder at Blockpit1 episodeRegulationPrivacy
Sergiu HamzaCEO at Coincub1 episodeRegulationFrequently asked questions
Is Bitcoin private?
Not by default. Bitcoin is pseudonymous: addresses aren't names, but every transaction is public and can often be linked to a person. Privacy takes extra tools and habits.
What is a privacy coin?
A cryptocurrency that hides amounts, senders or receivers by default, such as Monero or Zano. Zano's Quinten van Welzen discusses the renewed interest in them.
Why can't privacy be bolted on?
Once a system is designed to expose or collect data, adding protection later rarely closes every leak. Dr. Corey Petty makes this argument in his Logos episode.
Does self-custody improve privacy?
It removes the exchange as a party holding your keys and data, but on-chain activity is still visible. Keycard, Trezor and Ryder cover the custody side in their episodes.