Want a compelling use case for privacy blockchains? Look no further than dating

Businesses love Web3, but when it comes to using this technology for dating apps, singles might want to- be swipe left.

The excitement surrounding Web3 is palpable and undeniable. Projects are pouring into the space to build cutting-edge versions of the sites and applications served by Web2's centralized rivals, spanning every industry imaginable.

But at this point, it's worth taking a step back and thinking about the challenges the Web3 world still faces. This technology is not inherently private - and the transactions that bounce off blockchains are mostly transparent.

Private coins and the anonymized blockchains they are normally based on are normally viewed with suspicion by critics. They point out how cryptocurrencies like Monero are increasingly in demand by ransomware attackers, and argue that these digital assets only have a use case for people who don't do any good. p>

However, that doesn't tell the whole story. It's easy to forget that we already have private coins in the fiat world, i.e. the banknotes in your pocket. If you give $10 to a friend, it's impossible for governments to keep up. Some crypto enthusiasts worry that the shift to digitization risks eroding the rights we've taken for granted for decades.

A consumer requiring anonymity is not necessarily doing anything illegal. To illustrate why privacy must be protected in Web3, let's turn our attention to the world of online dating.

It is inevitable that entrepreneurs will try to build a decentralized answer to Tinder and Grindr – indeed, tongues were wagging when the Lonely Ape Dating Club was proposed…despite the fact that it turned out to be a prank.

If this had turned out to be real, there would have been huge problems to solve. There are very real dangers associated with doxxing your ETH address to strangers on a niche dating app in a largely unregulated industry. And that's before we thought about how it would be mixed with other attributes like NFT profile pictures, Tw...