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In episode 165, we’re excited to welcome Evan Shapiro of Mina Protocol, a zero knowledge blockchain for a secure, private, and verifiable internet. We break down what the heck a zero knowledge proof is, why you should get excited about this emerging technology, and some of the most compelling social impact use cases of ZK proofs.

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Key Takeaways

• At their core, Zero Knowledge Proofs give individuals the ability to prove things about themselves, such as their credentials and identity, without needing to reveal private or sensitive information.
• Mina Protocol envisions a future where ZK Proofs are layered on top of everything on the internet that could benefit from verification – whether it be social media posts, news articles, political advertisements, videos, etc. This will ultimately help create a much safer internet free from misinformation.
• ZK Proofs can play a huge role in building safe digital spaces and institutions, where those participating can know, without a doubt, that everyone involved is who they say they are, and not a bot. This is increasingly important in the age of Artificial Intelligence.

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Follow Evan and Mina Protocol

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Website

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Mina Ecosystem Map

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Episode Time Stamps:

03:40 - What was your “Ah hah” moment that first got you excited about cryptocurrency and web3?

05:45 - To start things off, can you please give listeners a quick intro to the mission of Mina Protocol?

08:45 - For those who aren’t as familiar with Zero Knowledge Proofs, can you give an “Explain-it-like-I’m-5” of them?

11:40 - Do you mind giving an overview of what ZK Rollups are?

14:00 - You recently released an article called “Building an Internet of (True) Things with its ‘Proof of Everything’” that dives into the unique attributes of Mina. Can you give us an overview of what makes Mina protocol different from other ZK protocols?

20:20 - Now that we’ve covered the basics of ZK Proofs, let’s dive into some use cases! Over the past couple of years, there has been an increase in misinformation and deepfakes on social media. As we enter an election cycle in the US, this is only expected to increase. How can ZK proofs and Mina Protocol address this?

24:40 - Recently, there has been a lot of experimentation around decentralized identity solutions. What role can ZK proofs play in developing verifiable decentralized identity solutions?

29:35 - Another interesting use case is leveraging ZK proofs to run digital elections. Tell me more about this.

33:45 - I’d love to learn more about the ecosystem around Mina Protocol! Are there any promising projects that are building on Mina Protocol that you’d like to highlight?

36:55 - For builders who are interested in building on Mina – what resources and support are available?

39:15 - What’s the best way for listeners to get in touch and learn more about Mina Protocol?

40:35 - To wrap things up, if you could name one thing that excites you most about the social impact potential of web3, what would it be and why?

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