Privacy Means Having Space to Be Yourself // Aisling Connolly (Taceo)

Sat, May 2, 2026, 12:00 AM

In this Academy interview, Aisling Connolly (Taceo) explores privacy as both a personal and technical concept - a space to think, grow, and make mistakes without judgment. She discusses building private compute networks using MPC and how privacy can exist between full transparency and total anonymity. Aisling reflects on the evolution of the cypherpunk movement toward more inclusive, community-driven ideas, while highlighting challenges around perception, accessibility, and diversity in the space. She also shares a vision of privacy as a balance between control, transparency, and freedom of choice. Timecodes 00:00 – Introduction: Aisling Connolly (Taceo, private compute) 00:18 – Privacy as space to live, grow, and make mistakes 01:13 – Private compute (MPC): between transparency and anonymity 02:11 – Neo-cypherpunk: mindset shift and reclaiming curiosity 03:15 – Privacy as freedom to learn, experiment, and question 03:26 – Making the movement more open and inclusive 04:21 – Stigma around privacy and association with crime 05:28 – Barriers and gender dynamics in the space 07:30 – Expanding roles beyond tech: social, legal, cultural 08:49 – Research vs deployment: speed vs long-term thinking 10:04 – Why we should think in 50-year horizons 11:16 – Vision: flexible privacy with control and transparency 12:17 – Privacy + transparency: knowing when data is used 13:03 – “Privacy tool”: reading, thinking, and mental space 14:41 – Ethics: choosing meaningful work and contribution 16:12 – Personal responsibility and building a better future -- This conversation is part of Privacy Academy Interviews, a peer-to-peer knowledge project exploring the most important ideas in Web3, privacy, and digital freedom. Learn more: https://academy.web3privacy.info A W3PN Media House production. Directed by Federico Marchi https://x.com/BabyBitProd Interview by Peter Farbey https://x.com/0xfarbey Let privacy be with you!