Ever since ZCash launched late last year, their mind-boggling algorithm of proofing that something exists without actually revealing what it is (the so called zkSNARK) was making furors on the crypto world. As you may already know, although Bitcoin was touted as being private and untraceable, this is not entirely true. Bitcoin is more like cash and cash, to a certain extent, is traceable. But by using the zkSNARK (what a tricky name, right?) technology, one can really hide a transaction on the blockchain, making it completely private.

As part of their Byzantium release testing, Ethereum team announced they integrated this technology into the Ethereum transaction mechanism. What this means, in plain English, is that soon, once Byzantium reaches a stable level, we can have completely private transactions on the Ethereum network, just like we have them now in ZCash.

But zkSNARKs are computationally expensive, hence such a transaction will have a much higher price. Sources close to [Coindesk](https://www.coindesk.com/ethereums-byzantium-testnet-just-verified-private-transaction/), which broke the news, revealed that the price of such a transaction could be around 1,900,000 gas, whereas a "normal", not privatized transaction costs only 21,000 gas. 

So the price of anonymity on the Ethereum network is basically 90x higher. Quite pricey, if you ask me...
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_I'm a serial entrepreneur, blogger and ultrarunner. You can find me mainly on my blog at [Dragos Roua](http://dragosroua.com) where I write about productivity, business, relationships and running. Here on Steemit you may stay updated by following me @dragosroua._
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_If you're new to Steemit, you may find these articles relevant (that's also part of my witness activity to support new members of the platform)_:
* [Rewards: Were Does The Money Come From?](https://steemit.com/steemit/@dragosroua/steemit-newbie-faq-rewards-were-does-the-money-come-from)
* [Netiquette: How To Avoid Being A Steem Douche?](https://steemit.com/steem/@dragosroua/steemit-newbie-faq-netiquette-how-to-avoid-being-a-steem-douche)
* [Witnesses: What Are They And Why Should You Care?](https://steemit.com/steemit/@dragosroua/steemit-newbie-faq-witnesses-what-are-they-and-why-should-you-care)
* [How Can I Mine Steem And What CPU / GPU Power Do I Need For That?](https://steemit.com/steemit/@dragosroua/steemit-newbie-faq-how-can-i-mine-steem-and-what-cpu-gpu-power-do-i-need-for-that)