I’m Emilio, working on The Social Mask - a platform protecting investigative journalists in high-risk countries using Zcash shielded transactions.
The problem
1,200+ journalists killed in the last decade. 140+ in Mexico alone. Governments trace donations on public blockchains and use that info to intimidate supporters and journalists.
Our approach
Platform where journalists can:
- Publish anonymously with verified credentials (ZK proofs)
- Receive donations via shielded ZEC (untraceable)
- Store content on IPFS (censorship-resistant)
We’re building open-source SDKs (zTip.js, zVerify.py) so other Zcash projects can use these tools too.
Not competing with ZECpages/Free2z - they’re general social platforms. We’re specialized for journalism with partnerships: Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, Article 19.
Proof we can build this
Working Zcash wallet on mainnet (transparent addresses currently). Grant enables migration to shielded + journalism features.
What we need
Around $50k over 8 months for:
- Shielded transaction integration
- ZK-proof journalist verification
- Production infrastructure (nodes, IPFS, audits)
- Partnership formalization
Full proposal: La máscara social - Solicitud de subvención
Feedback needed
Before submitting formally:
- Is journalism focus clear vs existing projects?
- Concerns about ZK-proof moderation approach?
- Other press freedom orgs we should partner with?
- What would strengthen this?
Any feedback appreciated. We’re still learning the Zcash ecosystem and want to get this right.
