Share this article

FluffyPony on Encryption, Clearview and How Coronavirus Could Impact Privacy

The former lead maintainer of Monero and co-founder of Tari speaks about the state of global privacy

Updated Sep 14, 2021, 8:17 a.m. Published Mar 6, 2020, 8:00 p.m.
Breakdown3.6-3

The former lead maintainer of Monero and co-founder of Tari speaks about the state of global privacy

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, IHeartRadio or RSS.

As the coronavirus took hold in China, officials in Hubei province tracked potential patients by examining purchase records for cough and flu medicine for the previous month.

Welcome to the new frontiers of privacy. In this wide-ranging episode, @NLW chats with former lead maintainer of Monero and Tari co-founder Riccardo Spagni - aka @FluffyPony on Twitter - about privacy in the context of:

  • The recent arrest of DropBit CEO Larry Harmon involving bitcoin mixer technology allegedly being used for illicit purposes
  • The US government's battle against end-to-end encryption
  • Central bank digital currencies
  • At-home devices such as Alexa and Google Home
  • Clearview AI and facial recognition
  • China’s response to coronavirus
  • Why individual apathy is the greatest threat to privacy in the world

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

IMF Flags Stablecoins as Source of Risk to Emerging Markets, Experts Say We Aren't There Yet

Globe (Subhash Nusetti/Unsplash)

The IMF warns that USD-pegged stablecoins could undermine local currencies in emerging markets by facilitating currency substitution and capital outflows.

What to know:

  • The IMF warns that USD-pegged stablecoins could undermine local currencies in emerging markets by facilitating currency substitution and capital outflows.
  • Despite concerns, experts argue that the stablecoin market is still too small to have a significant macroeconomic impact.
  • Stablecoins are primarily used for crypto trading, and their market size remains small compared to global currency flows.