n the past few years we have had a lot of discussions about privacy and the wars on it. I also have seen an increase of interest in 'private' coins.
So that is why I arranged a interview with the creator and lead developer of Verge, Sunerok.
Sunerok, Can you tell me more about your background and your passion for online privacy?
"Well, before crypto, I was running a network security company. I started a little mining pool called Goldmin.es and was having alot of fun, but kept seeing clones of bitcoin that didn't really do anything special, or made false promises and never delivered. I grew tired of constantly adding coins to my pool and then removing them after a week, realizing they weren't going anywhere. Since I had a background in online privacy and security, I decided to create a coin as a hobby, and see what I could do with it."
Then you decided to create Verge. What is Verge exactly?
"Verge is a cryptocurrency I created, to make an attempt at keeping the original vision of Bitcoin alive. User privacy, with a public ledger, so that users could remain anonymous, but mass market adoption was still possible. (I don't believe real world market adoption can occur with a private ledger)"
So when and why did you start developing Verge?
"Verge started as a hobby back in 2013, under the name DogecoinDark. As I started producing alot of resources for the blockchain, many community members suggested a rebranding, so the coin would be taken more seriously. Of course, I didn't object. Within a week or so, we had rebranded and our community started growing alot faster. I try to seriously consider all input from the community, because without them, we're nothing."
Do you think that Bitcoin lost it's vision?
"Well Satoshi left, and yes I think it did lose it's vision. I think now it's just a race to appease big investors, and lost sight of privacy. I also don't think it's a coincidence that Satoshi left after Gavin mentioning he was going to talk to the US feds about it."
How does the Privacy part works in Verge, and why is it more private then coins like ZEC (Zcash) or XMR (Monero)
"Well, I don't like to compare Verge to other coins. Everyone has a different idea of how crypto/user-privacy should work. I will say that ZEC has some components that make it hard to understand, and some ideas seem to really conflict with their vision, such as being able to trace criminals but still keeping it private for users?
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"In my opinion, capabilities like that ends up falling into the wrong hands, like we saw with the ShadowBrokers NSA tools leak. It's my opinion that users will be able to be traced, or they won't. There is no "in between" when it comes to privacy/anonymity."
"I'm actually a fan of XMR, as they've definitely gone down their own path to fulfill their vision, and I do hold quite a few in my portfolio, however i have read recently that their obfuscation techniques are not yet perfected, but that's to be expected this early in crypto, as all of this is still "new", (no matter how long every day in crypto feels!)"
"I've often heard people say one week in crypto feels like a year, and I completely agree. Also, devs from Monero are the only one's I've actually seen in places few people even know how to navigate. To answer the question though, Verge focuses on the user's online identity remaining private, while trying to keep transactions/ledger public for query, while others feel the opposite is more important. We should commend any group who focuses on user privacy though. I'd say one thing Verge, XMR, and ZEC all have in common, is that there are powerful people out there, who don't like what we are accomplishing."
So what makes it unique?
"Well we've created some resources that no one else has done, like our i2p electrum client, and our upcoming set of Android wallets, which will be utilizing the i2p and TOR networks -only-. They won't have any clearnet capability."
Are you afraid that maybe criminals will use Verge since you claim its anonymous?
"Not at all. Criminals are going to be criminals, no matter what platform. I'd argue that more criminals use the US paper dollar than any other form of currency at this time, and probably have no intention of stopping their criminal behavior in the near future. It's like the gun debate in America. You can try to make them illegal/heavily restricted, but criminals will find a way to break laws regardless. Everyone should have the same tools made available to them as their adversaries."
Why are you so focused on privacy? Does it comes from libertarian thoughts?
"I don't ascribe to any particular political party. Growing up, my heroes were people who put their lives/freedom on the line to bring what they felt was pertinent information to the masses. After seeing what the internet has become, I think online privacy grows to be a more serious issue every single day. People have an innate right to privacy, whether they want it or not. I often hear the arguement "I have nothing to hide, so I don't really care". When I hear that it makes me cringe. Would you be willing to live in a glass house where everyone anyone outside can see you, but you can't see them?"
Do you think the same about terrorism, and what do you think about the war on privacy under the name of terrorism?
"that's an interesting question. i think terrorism is generally a result of people who feel like they've been wronged, and don't have the opportunity or means to negotiate with the entity that wronged them, or feel that the entity is being completely unfair to begin with. sort of a David vs Goliath situation. it's a sad state of affairs for both sides. but of course, terrorism is the perfect opportunity for states to run mass surveillance."
Links:
ZCash Developer Zooko on tracing criminals:
Verge Currency Website:
https://vergecurrency.com
Verge Black Paper:
https://github.com/vergecurrency/Verge-Blackpaper/blob/master/Verge-Anonymity-Centric-CryptoCurrency.pdf
TipJar:
XVG: DRb1aWGZSCrMzQ8nPBZ3PLAyTsGnSe3aM2
BTC: 1BJYNvCdqSUCrkpwSZPQvMGGCCv1T3eYH4
El Patrón
I found this article really late, but it's an excellent interview, and still very relevant. I'm surprised by the lack of comments. Great work.
Always going to be a long-term Verge hodler.
Same here.