Researchers Release Design for Private Bitcoin Transfers

Researchers have published the Shielded Bitcoin specification, a proposed design for making Bitcoin transfers more private. The system is described as “Zcash-style” and is intended to conceal the sender, receiver and amount involved in a transaction. The specification does not yet define how BTC would enter or leave the shielded system. That functionality is reserved for a later paper, according to the source material. The publication outlines a privacy-focused approach for Bitcoin, while leaving the connection between shielded transfers and the wider Bitcoin system unresolved for now. The design is relevant to BTC and may also draw interest from users following privacy-oriented cryptocurrency technology, including Zcash.