Electric Coin Company January 2023 Newsletter

Newsletter | January 2023

Hi everyone! Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter, where we provide updates on ECC’s work and the broader Zcash ecosystem.

Tl;dr

  • ECC joins 35+ privacy-preserving projects to co-sign a letter to US Congress
  • ECC releases the latest transparency report for [Q2 2022], disclosing its budget and operating expenses
  • Josh Swihart attends privacy panel for Secret Summit discussing why privacy will drive the next wave of crypto adoption

Let’s dive in

💪 ECC and friends remind US Congress that privacy is a human right…

ECC joined a group of 35+ privacy-preserving projects calling on the new US Congress to maintain a strong focus on the human right to privacy when considering crypto regulations.

A number of high profile projects, including Tor and the Filecoin Foundation, co-signed a letter spearheaded by Fight for the Future. The letter clearly outlines the right to and need for privacy in the digital age, and calls on the US congress to protect that right.

In the press release, ECC’s Paul Brigner stated, “Zcash and the related technologies we build to preserve user privacy are essential for giving individuals around the world an opportunity to have economic freedom. Protecting the right to privacy and the right to code is crucial for building a more secure and resilient digital future.

“We urge lawmakers to take a bold stance in favor of pro-privacy policies, including end-to-end encryption, and oppose any attempts to thwart the use or development of privacy-preserving tools. Only by defending the privacy of all individuals can we hope to build a truly democratic and free society.”

We were happy to join together with this group of mission-aligned organizations to advocate for digital privacy. ECC will continue to advocate in DC for Zcash users’ rights and support Zcash developers’ ability to write code freely.

Please see the full press release here.

ECC releases Q2 2022 transparency report

ECC’s latest transparency report details company income, expenses and use of funds during Q2 2022.

As we build and support a fair and open currency, we believe transparency with the community is a crucial component. We release these reports so the Zcash ecosystem can get insight into our operating expenses and develop an informed opinion when evaluating our work.

Please see the blog, containing the full transparency report, here.

🤝 Josh Swihart on Secret Network panel: Privacy is normal

Secret Network recently hosted an online summit, where various builders got together to discuss the future of digital privacy and cryptocurrency.

ECC’s Josh Swihart took part in a panel that primarily focused on what will drive the next wave of adoption for privacy-preserving technologies.

In the event, Josh had somewhat of a contrarian take. He said:

“I think people do care about privacy. We should stop with the meme that people don’t care about it. We need to reinforce that privacy is normal. Protecting a person’s right to privacy is about their security and dignity, for today and years to come.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself, Josh. If you want to watch the full conversation, you can find it here.

🤔 What’s happening at ECC

ECC is all hands on deck focusing on improving user experience and mobile wallet performance related to our SDKs. Nick Tsacks recently joined ECC as our Director of Engineering to spearhead these efforts.

We’re continuing to drive policy discussions in Washington DC with the Pretty Good Policy for Crypto breakfast. You can register to attend in-person, or remotely, at the link here.

We’ll be kickstarting more online community events in the near future. Be sure to follow our Twitter account to join the conversation.

📺 What we’re watching and reading

We mentioned a new Zcash podcast on the Digital Cash Network in our last newsletter. The first episode, with ECC’s Nate Wilcox, just dropped and it’s 🔥.

ECC’s Ian Sagstetter and Josh Swihart recently did a podcast dispelling Zcash FUD. It’s a great resource to share when battling in the depths of crypto twitter. Check it out!Adam Cochran, Partner at Cinneamhain Ventures, shares his enthusiasm for the proposed Zcash shift to PoS.

🔗 Zcash ecosystem links

Share your thoughts

Let me know what you think of the newsletter, and if there’s any other content you’d like to see in future editions, send me an email ([email protected]).