Through these tools, we can better find a delicate balance between transparency and privacy protection, collective trust and individual freedom.
Author: papajams.eth
Compiled by: Deep Tide TechFlow
From the anonymous authors of The Federalist Papers who laid the foundation for democratic debate, to whistleblowers exposing global injustices (such as WikiLeaks), the practice of using pseudonyms has enabled people to freely share thoughts and truths without fear of retaliation. Historically, figures like Voltaire, Publius, Mark Twain (originally Samuel Clemens), George Eliot (originally Mary Ann Evans), and Satoshi Nakamoto have all advanced the dissemination of ideas through pseudonyms.
Zero Knowledge Proofs
Zero Knowledge Proofs (ZK) are a revolutionary cryptographic technology that allows one party to prove to another that they possess certain information without disclosing the specific details. For example, you can prove that you meet the age requirement to enter a venue without showing your full personal information on your ID. This technology ensures the confirmation of key facts (such as age) while protecting other private data.
In traditional platforms, users typically need to submit personal data, which is stored centrally on servers, posing risks of leakage or misuse. Zero Knowledge Proofs change this model, allowing users to verify credentials or ownership of assets without exposing personal information, significantly enhancing privacy protection.
Genesis
Sealcaster is the first zero-knowledge application built on the Farcaster protocol, developed by Big Whale Labs. Its development team includes Nikita Kolmogorov (borodutch), Jason Kim, and other members. They utilize Circom (a programming language designed for zero-knowledge circuits) to generate proofs, enabling users to complete identity verification without disclosing personal information. Through Circom's constraints and signaling mechanisms, Sealcaster can verify the authenticity of credentials while protecting user privacy.
Sealcaster is one of several zero-knowledge products launched by Big Whale Labs, with other products including:
SealCred: A platform that allows users to mint zk-NFTs based on NFT and email ownership.
SealCred Echo: A tool that enables users to anonymously post content on Twitter with accompanying verification credentials.
Ketl: A tool for pseudonymous communication for venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.
As one of the first practical zero-knowledge projects on the Farcaster protocol, Sealcaster demonstrates the immense potential of privacy protection and verifiable communication on decentralized platforms.
Superanon
As the Farcaster community continues to grow, a high-end user client called supercast (developed by its founder woj, later renamed super) has gradually formed a user base and led to the birth of superanon.
supercast is a currently paid client primarily aimed at advanced users. It supports posting content from multiple accounts and allows users to operate anonymously using superanon.
ANON
In the Farcaster community, the AI-driven token launcher CLANKER has facilitated the creation of over 10,000 tokens, with a total trading volume of $1 billion, paying millions of dollars to creators. One day, a superanon user anonymously created a token named $ANON using CLANKER while woj was sleeping, reflecting the characteristics of permissionless operation.
When woj woke up, he officially launched the $anon token (in lowercase) as a support tool for superanon accounts and distributed donated $ANON to all supercast users through an airdrop.
Subsequently, developer slokh (who previously developed the nook client) built a platform called anoncast.org that allows users to anonymously post content while holding $ANON.
This platform combines Noir and Rust technologies, and its open-source code has attracted many developers for iteration and experimentation, opening up new possibilities for the future of anonymous social networks.
In addition to continuous feature updates and optimizations, such as allowing users to reveal later that they are the authors of certain popular content, Farcaster's features have attracted many well-known users, including Vitalik and Jesse Pollack. Notably, 0xLuo is the creator of the feature on the right.
33Bits
33bits.xyz is an experimental platform that is restricted to users with FID numbers below 20,000, meaning early users of Farcaster. The tool was built by developers Kugusha and Sergey. To expand access, they later launched 66bits.xyz, which not only provided access to more users but also added additional features for token holders.
Rumours
Developed by Disky and Leovido, rumourcast.xyz is a client based on the Farcaster protocol. It builds on the popular Anon Cast but incorporates some unique innovative designs.
As long as users hold enough supporting tokens, they can publish content as anonymous accounts. Future development plans include:
Frames V2 Integration: Enhancing user interaction experience by creating unique framing features.
NFT Minting: Supporting the minting of rumour content into collectible NFTs, potentially integrating with prediction market features to add more interactivity and value to the content.
Rumour AI Agent: Expanding and optimizing rumour content through AI technology, adding more depth and creativity to each release.
The iteration of these features is ongoing, and the future looks promising.
Pseudonymous Economy
A complete shift to a fully financialized pseudonymous framework may overlook the complexities of human social interaction. However, the true potential lies not in absolute anonymity, but in constructing diverse and complex identity models.
These online and on-chain social experiments provide users with a unique space. Here, individuals can build reputations, share insights, and collaborate without exposing their real identities, thereby alleviating the pressure of personal information exposure.
While a completely anonymous model may struggle to support complex social or governance structures, these validated digital identity models offer new possibilities. These identities can be trusted and used across platforms while protecting personal privacy. They pave the way for establishing a voluntarily participatory, identity-flexible online social environment and redefine the power dynamics of online communication.
Through these tools, we can better find a delicate balance between transparency and privacy protection, collective trust and individual freedom.
“Behind this mask, there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask, there is an idea… and ideas are bulletproof.” — Alan Moore, V for Vendetta
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