Blockchains have been truly transformative in ushering in the next generation of money — but there’s one problem: these networks aren’t private by design.

 

For some, this poses huge issues. You may live in an authoritarian state where every transaction you make is monitored — or could be trying to donate to a politically sensitive cause. And if you have substantial crypto holdings, your wallets could be targeted by hackers.

 

Here at DOP, we believe that it doesn’t have to be this way. 

 

In a world where our data is continuously monetized by tech giants — and subject to devastating leaks that put our financial security at risk — we’re building a protocol that puts you in control. Now, you can pick which parts of your personal information are in the public domain. 

 

Privacy-focused cryptocurrencies and coin mixers have been built before, but they have major downsides. Monero is prone to low liquidity — and ZCash users must opt into anonymizing features. But DOP does things differently by delivering seamless interoperability with Ethereum dApps — opening the door to the second-largest blockchain in the world.

How Data Ownership Protocol works

The beauty of DOP lies in how it can be personalized around your exacting needs. Do you want to showcase your collection of blue-chip NFTs to the world? No problem. Want to do this while hiding how much ETH is in your wallet? We can help you there, too.

 

But of course, privacy is a sliding scale. Just like you’d tell certain facts about your life with your closest confidants, but not the strangers you meet on the street, our protocol allows you to share data with a small number of counterparties — all while shutting the general public out.

 

We call this “selective transparency” — and crucially, this isn’t at the expense of accountability and ethics. Illicit activity harms the whole crypto ecosystem, and it’s something we want to avoid as much as anyone else.

Examples of DOP in action

Now you’ve got an insight into the concept behind DOP, let’s lift the lid on a few features: 

 

• Keep it vague: Our protocol can ensure your holdings are shielded from the public view. For example, you can declare that you own more than 2 ETH — without disclosing the full balance. You wouldn’t allow everyone in the world to see what’s in your bank account, so why should your crypto wallet be any different? 

• Powerful functionality: DOP supports ERC-20, ERC-721 and ERC-1155 token standards at launch — accounting for most NFTs and an array of major altcoins. This means that, no matter which cryptocurrencies you own, you’ll be able to keep your stack and transaction history confidential. 

• High standards: Creeping centralization is a big problem in the crypto space, and that’s why DOP is going to be governed by a decentralized autonomous organization with a rotating committee of node operators. This will help keep the platform secure and honest — placing governance in the hands of users.

• Off-chain transactions: DOP harnesses zero-knowledge cryptography to process transactions while prioritizing privacy. And because our protocol handles all of this activity away from the main Ethereum network — batching payments together for finalization afterward — this ultimately reduces congestion.

 

Interoperability is key

In a world where blockchains are unacceptably fragmented and unable to talk to one another, creating painful levels of friction for end users, DOP champions interoperability. Our protocol allows you to securely interact with dApps across the Ethereum network — from DeFi platforms to decentralized exchanges, and from prediction markets to NFT marketplaces. Now, you have a way of enjoying everything the Ethereum ecosystem has to offer, without compromising on the principles of privacy that are championed by so many in the crypto space.

 

This matters — not least because we know many of you are creatures of habit. Over the years, you’ve found the wallets you like based on your specific needs — and here at DOP, we don’t want to disrupt your routine. That’s why we allow seamless integration with a plethora of third-party wallets — with open APIs and libraries to ensure full compatibility. As a result, you get much-needed familiarity while benefiting from unrivaled privacy, and make it easier than ever to give our protocol a try without disrupting your existing setup. 

 

But our ambitions don’t end here. In the months and years to come, we want developers to start building dApps within our very own internal ecosystem — taking our ambitions of privacy to new heights. We’re giving talented builders in the space a place where they can build everything that makes DeFi great — DEXs, liquidity pools and more — that offer selective disclosure by default. And in time, a self-contained ecosystem where data ownership is the number one priority could become a reality for us all.