Eli Ben-Sasson has been working on ZK zero-knowledge cryptography since the early 2000s.
Despite what Sasson says, privacy should be a value preserved by everyone.
In a message published this Monday, October 20, 2025 on the X platform, Eli Ben-Sasson, zero-knowledge cryptography pioneer (ZK Proof) and co-founder of Zcash outlined who should prioritize privacy with Bitcoin. He also commented on who could do without it, based on factors such as level of financial exposure, social context and political environment.
Not all bitcoin users require privacy measures. Those who see cryptocurrencies as a secondary investment, manage amounts less than $100,000 and reside in free societies can operate without major worries, the cryptographer said in his post of X.
In the cryptocurrency world, you are considered a small fish (less than $100,000). No one will try to single you out or specifically chase you when there are bigger fish out there. If this is just a sideline for you, the implications for your social and financial position in the world are what YOU decide to share (rather than what can be learned about you by analyzing the blockchain). And, as mentioned, you’re a small fish. If you live in a free society, you won’t be easily harassed by authorities or bullies (unless you talk about it too much or associate with the wrong people, which you shouldn’t be doing in the first place, and privacy won’t save you if you do).
Eli Ben-Sasson, pioneer in zero-knowledge cryptography,
In this case, transparency in cryptocurrency networks does not represent a significant risk. This as long as the user controls what they decide to share. However, the picture changes for those who face greater risks.
Ben-Sasson identifies three groups that need privacy
First, companies that transfer activities such as payroll, purchasing or treasury management to the distributed ledgers of cryptocurrency networks. Here, where confidentiality is protected by law, it is essential to your business interests. This group needs high privacy with bitcoin.
Second, the whales, whose financial movements are visible. This It can make them a target for attack or exploitation if they do not cover their tracks.
Third, users in non-free societies, where certain bitcoin transactions could endanger your freedom or even your life.
For these cases, Ben-Sasson highlights the role of technologies such as STARKsa type of zero-knowledge proof that he himself has promoted, as a viable solution.
Eli Ben-Sasson He is a relevant figure in the field of cryptography and cryptoasset technology. An Israeli, he studied computer science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he earned his PhD in 2001 under the supervision of Avi Wigderson.
He later completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard and MIT. He was a professor at the Technion’s School of Computer Science, where he rose to full professor in 2015 before leaving academia in 2020.
He is co-founder and president of StarkWare, and one of the founding scientists of Zcash, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency.
His contributions include advances in zero-knowledge proofs, such as STARKs, and exploring their application to improve the scalability and security of Bitcoin, a topic he began addressing publicly in 2013.