[Shielded Bitcoin Proposal Introduced, No Need to Modify Bitcoin Consensus Rules] The Shielded Bitcoin technical proposal introduces Zcash-like Shielded privacy features to the mainnet without altering Bitcoin's underlying consensus rules. This protocol utilizes zero-knowledge proof mechanisms, allowing users to hide transaction flows and balances at the mainnet level while ensuring network nodes can verify the legitimacy of transactions. The technology relies on an independently operated meta-protocol architecture, eliminating the need for soft fork voting or code restructuring. (Source: CoinDesk)