Privacy stops being a niche feature the moment you realize it’s not about secrecy—it’s about control. We sit down with Shakhaf Bar-Geffen, CEO and co-founder of COTI, to unpack why privacy is rapidly becoming critical infrastructure for Web3, how selective disclosure changes the trust equation, and what it takes to make privacy the default without sacrificing performance or decentralization.
We make the case that privacy is not secrecy but control, and that programmable, end-to-end confidentiality is the missing layer for real adoption. From garbled circuits to MetaMask snaps, we share how builders and CMOs turn privacy into a trust advantage.
• Privacy reframed as control and selective disclosure
• Why transparent chains block institutional adoption
• Evolution from no privacy to private apps
• Limits of ZK, TEEs and FHE for confidential computation
• Garbled circuits and GC‑EVM for fast private logic
• MetaMask snap integration for native private tokens
• End‑to‑end confidentiality across network, execution and storage
• Enterprise tokenization needs privacy by default
• Marketing with proofs not surveillance
• The future CMO as trust architect
• Resources to explore COTI tech and community
From Transparent Chains To Trustworthy Privacy Infrastructure
Privacy is shifting from a philosophical stance to a practical foundation for growth across crypto and mainstream digital products. Transparent blockchains proved integrity, but they also exposed portfolios, strategies, and personal behavior, creating friction for institutions and everyday users. The core idea emerging now is that privacy is not secrecy; it is control. Selective disclosure allows users to decide who sees what, while cryptography proves integrity without revealing sensitive data. This reframing matters to marketers and founders because trust is no longer built purely on visibility. It is built on verifiable claims and user agency, turning privacy into a differentiator that attracts enterprises and retains consumers.
The evolution of privacy technology reflects this pivot. Step one was no privacy: public ledgers where everyone can verify everything. Step two was private transfers, like Zcash or Monero, protecting transaction details but not enabling rich, confidential computation. Step three is private apps, where the logic itself stays protected so complex products can run without leaking data. Zero-knowledge proofs validate statements without revealing inputs, yet they struggle when multiple parties compute on encrypted data, when performance is critical, or when entire application logic must remain hidden. Alternatives like TEEs trade decentralization for speed, and FHE remains slow and costly. Garbled circuits, as implemented by COTI, offer fast, lightweight, multi-party confidential computation that keeps inputs, logic, and outputs shielded while remaining programmable in a familiar EVM-like environment.
End-to-end privacy means baking confidentiality into every layer: network metadata, execution, and storage. Consider a private perpetuals exchange: inputs are encrypted, matching logic runs without exposure, outputs remain shielded, and queries use selective disclosure so patterns do not leak. This level of protection is essential for real-world apps in finance, healthcare, and supply chains, where a single weak link unravels compliance. When privacy is the default, builders do not bolt on patches; they design for confidentiality from day one. The result is an app surface that feels simple—click to shield, transact compliantly—while the underlying cryptography enforces user control and regulatory readiness.
Shahaf Bar-Geffen, CEO and co-founder of COTI
This posture transforms marketing. CMOs can move from hype to proof: show on-chain evidence that no personal data leaked, prove compliance without revealing users, and offer personalization through consented, encrypted analytics. Loyalty programs can be verifiable yet private. Onboarding improves when privacy is native in widely used wallets; MetaMask snaps for private tokens remove the separate-tool friction that kept users away. Storytelling shifts from tech jargon to outcomes users value: trade without front-running, settle without exposing counterparties, own your data without sacrificing experience. Marketers can track adoption through opt-in metrics and measure trust by how often users choose confidentiality features.
Tokenization underscores the stakes. Private credit, real estate, and trade finance cannot broadcast positions and client data on public rails. Large institutions are already signaling the requirement: RFPs request encrypted computation; major players test private settlements; regulators push for confidentiality by default. Without robust privacy, enterprise tokenization stalls as a retail novelty. With it, a multi-trillion-dollar market becomes reachable, and builders who embed private apps early gain speed and credibility. The broader mindset change is simple and hard: move from collect-everything to earn-access. Treat data as user-owned. Use proofs to guide strategy, not invasive logs. The brands that practice this now will own the trust curve as privacy becomes the standard, not the exception.
