Why Monero is Not a Good Alternative to Privacy (2024)

In response to recent developments surrounding the Samourai Wallet founders and escalating regulatory pressures, there’s growing unease within the Bitcoin community about KYC enforcement and expansive surveillance measures. These concerns are prompting even some staunch Bitcoin proponents to question their privacy on the network. This shift in sentiment has led a noticeable number of Bitcoin maximalists to transition to Monero, with some even divesting entirely from Bitcoin in favor of what they perceive as more secure, private alternatives.

However, in this article, I will highlight why Bitcoin continues to be the gold standard for both security and potential privacy enhancements, outshining alternatives like Monero and other so-called “privacy coins”. Proponents of Monero often claim it offers superior anonymity. However, a comprehensive assessment reveals that Bitcoin’s capabilities, especially with its innovative second-layer solutions, can match and often surpass those of Monero.

Monero’s architecture centers on absolute anonymity, using technologies such as Ring Signatures, Ring Confidential Transactions, and Stealth Addresses to ensure transactions remain untraceable and private. While these features offer strong privacy, they also introduce significant drawbacks such as increased transaction sizes, which can lead to higher fees and slower processing times during high-traffic periods.

Monero’s commitment to absolute anonymity is its main selling point, but this focus introduces multiple complexities that undermine its effectiveness as a primary privacy coin, especially when compared to Bitcoin’s adaptable privacy solutions.

Due to its privacy-centric technologies, Monero faces scalability issues. The privacy mechanisms it employs inherently require more data per transaction. This increased data burden means that as the network grows, the scalability issues could worsen, potentially leading to bottlenecks and reduced transaction throughput. Unlike Bitcoin, which has actively addressed scalability through solutions like the Lightning Network, Monero’s base-layer remains heavily burdened by its design choices.

Another significant drawback is the challenge of auditability. In traditional financial systems as well as in Bitcoin, entities can opt to provide transparency and audit trails for compliance and trust-building with stakeholders. Monero’s opaque nature makes it virtually impossible to offer such transparency. This poses a problem for businesses and individuals who are required by regulations to provide complete disclosure of their financial activities.

Monero’s mining algorithm is designed to be ASIC-resistant, aiming to allow individuals to mine with consumer-grade hardware. However, this has led to unintended consequences, such as the potential for rapid changes in mining difficulty and the risk of mining centralization through botnets. These botnets exploit large numbers of malware-infected computers, which could skew the decentralization that Monero strives for, making the network more vulnerable to attacks or manipulation.

Security of funds is paramount in cryptocurrencies, and hardware wallets offer the best security by storing cryptocurrencies offline. Monero’s complex signature scheme has resulted in limited hardware wallet support, which poses a significant inconvenience for users seeking robust security solutions. In contrast, Bitcoin is widely supported across all major hardware wallets, enhancing its utility and security.

Monero’s focus on privacy also affects its market presence. Many exchanges, especially those in regulated jurisdictions, are hesitant to list highly anonymous cryptocurrencies due to regulatory pressures. This results in lower liquidity compared to Bitcoin, which is universally available and traded. Lower liquidity can lead to higher volatility, making Monero less attractive as a store of value.

Finally, Monero’s strong anonymity features attract heightened scrutiny from regulatory bodies, which are increasingly implementing strict anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) guidelines. Cryptocurrencies that cannot comply with such regulations face potential delisting from major exchanges, further reducing their usability and appeal.

While Monero’s privacy features initially appear to offer an advantage over Bitcoin, a deeper look reveals significant drawbacks that compromise its practicality and potential for widespread adoption. Bitcoin’s ongoing development of second-layer solutions allows it to offer enhanced privacy without sacrificing scalability, security, or regulatory compliance, making it a more robust and flexible choice for users valuing both privacy and practicality.

Bitcoin’s approach to privacy has significantly evolved. It is enhancing its privacy features without sacrificing network efficiency or scalability through the adoption of several second-layer solutions.

Lightning Network

The Lightning Network exemplifies Bitcoin’s strides in privacy. Operating off the main blockchain, this protocol provides enhanced privacy by ensuring transactions are only recorded on the blockchain when the payment channels are closed, minimizing traceability.

Taproot softfork

Taproot has fortified Bitcoin’s privacy features by allowing transaction details and smart contract data to be obscured from public view. This upgrade allows for complex transactions to be indistinguishable from simple, standard transactions, enhancing user privacy while maintaining transparency.

Liquid Network

The Liquid Network, a sidechain-based settlement network for traders and exchanges, includes confidential transactions that hide not only transaction amounts but also the types of assets involved, offering a deeper level of privacy.

Mercury Layer

Mercury Layer introduces statechains, a novel technology that allows users to transfer custody of coins without broadcasting to the blockchain, thereby enhancing privacy. This feature adds a valuable dimension to Bitcoin’s privacy options by minimizing the traceability of coin ownership.

CashuBTC

CashuBTC is another layer that strengthens Bitcoin’s privacy toolkit. It is a Chaumian ecash protocol, which is a digital barer token that is stored on a user’s device, very similar to physical cash. The Cashu protocol allows you to build applications such as wallets or voucher systems, designed to be private, secure and scalable.

Bitcoin’s robust network security is reinforced by its broad adoption and an extensive mining network, which contributes to its dominance. The immense computational power dedicated to Bitcoin’s blockchain ensures unmatched security. In contrast, Monero, though supported by a dedicated community, does not have the same level of computational defense, potentially making it more vulnerable to security threats.

Bitcoin’s transparent nature strikes a delicate balance between privacy and regulatory compliance, making it more palatable to authorities compared to Monero, which could face harsher scrutiny due to its emphasis on anonymity. Bitcoin’s privacy features are optional, allowing users to tailor their privacy levels to their needs and regulatory requirements.

While Monero offers a solid privacy-focused architecture, it does not necessarily surpass Bitcoin as an alternative. Bitcoin’s continual enhancements and the integration of cutting-edge second-layer solutions address privacy concerns more effectively, while also improving scalability, efficiency, and regulatory compliance. For those seeking a mix of privacy, security, and adaptability, Bitcoin remains the superior choice.