【Venture Capital Firm: Zero-Knowledge Proofs Can Protect User Privacy and Combat Criminals】According to a report by Golden Finance, the cryptocurrency-focused investment division of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) pointed out that modern cryptographic technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs can both protect user privacy and enable law enforcement to effectively combat criminals. In a report released on Tuesday, a16z Crypto's policy partner Aiden Slaven and regulatory legal advisor David Sverdlov stated that zero-knowledge proofs can verify the authenticity of data without disclosing any detailed private information. They believe that this technology has 'the greatest potential' by demonstrating the source of funds without the need to disclose private information. This report was published just two weeks after Roman Storm, co-founder of the cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash, was convicted. Tornado Cash allows users to hide the source and destination of their cryptocurrency, and Roman Storm was found guilty of charges including conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transfer business. In the Tornado Cash case, law enforcement and prosecutors argued that the mixing service assisted criminal activities by providing a means to hide illegal proceeds. Slaven and Sverdlov stated in the report: 'If users can provide such proof when exchanging cryptocurrency for fiat currency, then cash exchange points can obtain reasonable assurance that the cryptocurrency is not derived from criminal proceeds, while users can also retain the privacy of their on-chain transactions.'