Introducing Privacy Pools: A New Semi-Permissionless Privacy Tool for Ethereum

In a groundbreaking move for Ethereum and the world of cryptocurrency, a new semi-permissionless privacy tool, “Privacy Pools,” has officially launched

In a groundbreaking move for Ethereum and the world of cryptocurrency, a new semi-permissionless privacy tool, “Privacy Pools,” has officially launched, offering users the ability to transact privately. The platform, created by Ethereum builders 0xbow.io, aims to provide a solution to the growing demand for privacy in Web3 while also ensuring regulatory compliance, a critical aspect that has posed challenges for previous privacy protocols.

The launch has already garnered attention from influential figures in the Ethereum ecosystem, with co-founder Vitalik Buterin showing his support for the project and making one of the platform’s first deposits. Buterin’s involvement is seen as a crucial step in integrating privacy tools into the mainstream of the Ethereum ecosystem.

Earlier this year, Buterin expressed his thoughts on the importance of privacy in blockchain technology and the difficulties encountered in creating protocols that are both useful and compliant with regulations. His words highlight the long-standing discussion within the cryptocurrency community regarding the optimal balance between privacy and regulatory obligations.

“We want to be able to use cryptocurrency to transact privately and directly with one another, the way email allows us to communicate privately,” said Buterin in January. “But we also want to be able to use cryptocurrency in a way that allows for regulatory compliance with anti-money laundering and know-your-customer rules.”

“It’s difficult to do both at the same time, and we’ve seen the difficulties encountered with protocols like Tornado Cash, which was sanctioned by the U.S. despite its aim being to provide users with more privacy.”

Now, with the launch of Privacy Pools and Buterin’s involvement, it appears that a potential solution to this dilemma is emerging.

As announced on March 31, 0xbow.io has introduced Privacy Pools, a system that groups multiple transactions into anonymous pools, known as “Privacy Pools,” and uses a unique mechanism called “Association Sets” to keep transactions untraceable while adhering to anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) standards.

In essence, the platform allows users to send and receive Ether privately, without revealing transaction details to the public while still maintaining the ability to prove that their funds have not been involved in illicit activities.

This addresses a growing concern in the cryptocurrency world: how to balance the desire for financial privacy with the need for regulatory compliance. In recent years, many privacy tools have been targeted by regulators due to their potential misuse by hackers, phishers, and scammers.

The most prominent example is Tornado Cash, which was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in August 2022. Tornado Cash was linked to the laundering of billions of dollars by North Korea’s Lazarus Group, resulting in its inclusion on OFAC’s blacklist.

However, in January 2025, Tornado Cash was removed from the blacklist after a U.S. appeals court ruled that the sanctions were unlawful. This case highlights the ongoing debate between the need for privacy and the necessity of regulatory oversight.

0xbow.io’s Privacy Pools aims to address these concerns by providing a privacy solution that complies with regulatory requirements and includes a screening process to ensure that transactions are not linked to illicit actors.

The platform uses dynamic "Association Sets," which can be adjusted if a transaction is initially accepted but later determined to be linked to illicit activities. This allows the platform to remain adaptable and responsive to potential issues.

Moreover, if a user’s deposit is disqualified, they can have their funds returned to their original deposit address through a “ragequit” function. This ensures that users are not penalized for activities they did not engage in.

At the time of launch, 0xbow.io has set an initial limit of 1 Ether (ETH) per deposit, which comes out to roughly $1,833 at current market prices. This limit is in place as the platform undergoes further testing and refinement. But 0xbow.io has stated that the deposit limit will be raised once the protocol has been tested and proven to be secure and effective.

The platform has already seen substantial activity, with over 21 ETH transferred into the Privacy Pools from 69 deposits, including at least one from Buterin. Buterin’s involvement in testing the platform and making a deposit into the protocol highlights the interest and support that is building for this new privacy solution.output: A new semi-permissionless privacy tool, “Privacy Pools,” has officially launched, offering users the ability to transact privately while still proving their funds are free from illicit activity. The platform, created by 0xbow.io, aims to provide a solution to the growing demand for privacy in Web3.

Now, a new generation of Ethereum builders is setting out to create usable and semi-permissionless privacy protocols that can be used by mainstream users without requiring any special knowledge or technical expertise.

One such platform, 0x