# Mina compared to privacy coins **URL:** \ **Category:** Cryptography\ **Created:** [May 19, 2022, 3:32am UTC](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/t/mina-compared-to-privacy-coins/5749 "2022-05-19T03:32:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![trymeout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9f8e36/32.png) [@trymeout](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/u/trymeout)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2022, 3:32am UTC](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/t/mina-compared-to-privacy-coins/5749/1 "2022-05-19T03:32:51Z")
How does Mina compare as a privacy coin and with other privacy coins such as… Monero Zcash (Shielded Addresses) Pirate Chain Firo (Lelantus) MimbleWimble With Monero for example, it protects the sender, receiver and amount. Are all Mina transactions private to were no one can see the sender, receiver or amount on the chain and if so, how does it compare. If Mina is not a privacy coin by protecting the sender, receiver and amount, can privacy be added to ensure all transactions are private? And if Mina uses zk-snarks, is Mina a trustless setup or is it a trusted setup like Zcash? Trusted setups are not truly private. ---
**Author:** ![hgedia](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/forums.minaprotocol.com/hgedia/32/1734_2.png) [@hgedia](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/u/hgedia)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2022, 5:08pm UTC](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/t/mina-compared-to-privacy-coins/5749/2 "2022-05-19T17:08:05Z")
MINA currency (base layer protocol) - is not on a privacy enabled layer. Thus senders and recepient’s of MINA are in public. zkApps built on top of MINA allow users to build privacy enabled solutions. So there is no reason why a privacy enabled solution can’t be built on top. Mina’s snark is trustless. ---
**Author:** ![trymeout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9f8e36/32.png) [@trymeout](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/u/trymeout)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/t/mina-compared-to-privacy-coins/5749/3 "2022-05-20T18:11:10Z")
Is it possible for someone to fork Mina and make the base layer protocol have privacy built in and always on by protecting the sender, receiver and amount? ---
**Author:** ![hgedia](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/forums.minaprotocol.com/hgedia/32/1734_2.png) [@hgedia](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/u/hgedia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 10:00pm UTC](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/t/mina-compared-to-privacy-coins/5749/4 "2022-05-20T22:00:55Z")
> [@hgedia](#): > > r protocol) - is not on a privacy enabled layer. Thus senders and recepient’s of MINA are in public. zkApps built on top of MINA allow users to build privacy enabled solutions. So there is no reason why a privacy enabled solution can’t be built on top. Mina’s snark is trustless. This would mean a considerable amount of work AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![pete\_grid0.xyz](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/forums.minaprotocol.com/pete_grid0.xyz/32/1323_2.png) [@pete\_grid0.xyz](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/u/pete_grid0.xyz)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 11:03pm UTC](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/t/mina-compared-to-privacy-coins/5749/5 "2022-05-20T23:03:24Z")
Have the founders of the project ever discussed why they decided to have the base token not be private? I’d be curious to hear what went into that decision. ---
**Author:** ![Demigeek](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/forums.minaprotocol.com/demigeek/32/1370_2.png) [@Demigeek](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/u/Demigeek)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 9:42pm UTC](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/t/mina-compared-to-privacy-coins/5749/6 "2022-05-22T21:42:18Z")
If regulation in the future becomes a just thing surely a bit of clarity is a good thing, for a long term survival of a token for mass adoption with added privacy ---
**Author:** ![trymeout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9f8e36/32.png) [@trymeout](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/u/trymeout)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 2:22am UTC](https://forums.minaprotocol.com/t/mina-compared-to-privacy-coins/5749/7 "2022-05-23T02:22:05Z")
Every blockchain is different and Mina is no exception. I am wondering if it is possible to imperilment Monero grade privacy even if it uses different technologies than Monero does.