This article discusses the concept of the Privacy Scale through the lens of Nikolai Kardashev's energy scale. Privacy is becoming a key resource of our time.
Type 0: A World Without Privacy
The modern world is characterized by a lack of privacy, where big tech companies and governments have access to all user data, including transactions, location, and biometric data. This creates a 'transparent data cage' where any desire for privacy is viewed as suspicious.
Type I: Personal Privacy
At the first level, individuals begin to take privacy into their own hands using methods such as: - Self-custody wallets to protect funds; - CoinJoin and Whirlpool for obscuring transactions; - VPN and Tor to hide metadata. Privacy at this stage remains fragile and depends on user self-discipline.
Type II: Local Privacy
At this level, privacy becomes an integral part of society. Key technologies include: - Monero (XMR) with transaction shielding; - Zcash (ZEC) with zk-SNARKs; - Firo (FIRO) pushing privacy innovations; - Dash (DASH) with PrivateSend; - Litecoin (LTC) implementing privacy extensions. These projects create a real privacy economy where money is shaped by privacy by design.
In the modern world, privacy is becoming an essential element of freedom. Understanding the Privacy Scale helps to recognize its importance and necessity in digital civilization.
