gm, readers.

At Automata we work on protecting privacy and fairness. And in this newsletter, we find more reasons to talk about it. Explore headlines and catch up on the biggest crypto news in Web3 privacy.

This Week:

• Telegram account of Unibot team member xcurve compromised in a spearphishing attack

• Privacy-focused Layer-1 Aleo announces revamped grants program for BUIDLers

• Oasis Network introduces Oasis Explorer, a first-party block explorer

• Manta Network releases Manta Atlantic audit results from 4 audit firms

• DarkFi Squad builds darkIRC, a new anonymous P2P chat

• HOPR announces a new update, Dufour, to be live on 9 September

• Nym announces upcoming token swap feature for its native Nym Wallet

• Decentralized ID project Worldcoin registers 9K users in a day in Argentina despite falling $WLD prices

Zooming into ZK:

• O(1) Labs renames ZK framework SnarkyJS to o1js, coupled with advancements and updates

• zkSync celebrates ZK September with a series of events ahead

• StarkWare and Herodotus launch tool to verify historical Ethereum data using ZK proof technology

Op-Ed Feature:

• Blockworks features an analysis of Polygon Founder Nailwal’s comparison between Optimistic and ZK technology

X Spaces you missed:

• Automata Network and Injective talk about Web3 privacy in Layer-1s

• Aztec Network and Aragon discuss about their Nouns anonymous voting proof of concept

We dive into the details, so you don’t have to:

Are storage proofs the next step in blockchain innovation? StarkWare and Herodotus have worked together to build a new developer tool – an on-chain accumulator, emerging from the use of STARK proofs and ZK-proof technology. This new tool allows any user or developer to access and verify historical Ethereum data in a trustless manner at any time. Currently, only the last 256 blockhashes on Ethereum can be validated. This tool also ensures that developers drawing data from other chains need not rely on cross-chain messaging or bridging protocols, which often involve third-party oracles.

Immediate use cases that come to mind include helping to develop permissionless account recovery systems and insurance protocols, both of which require extraction of historical on-chain data. Herodotus’ on-chain accumulator elevates Ethereum, pushing for its alignment with the blockchain ethos of transparency and accessibility.

Oasis Foundation, a privacy-first, proof-of-stake, decentralized network that gives users back control and ownership of their data, has unveiled its latest creation: the Oasis Explorer. It is a first-party block explorer designed to offer users a seamless and transparent experience on the Oasis Network.

On the same topic, 1RPC recently announced its support for Oasis Network Emerald & Sapphire, providing their ecosystem with an added layer of privacy through dedicated RPC endpoints.

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This newsletter is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional financial advice or interpreted as investment advice. Cryptocurrencies are volatile assets and you should always do your own research before making any informed decisions when investing or trading.