$404

404 Academy · 8 levels · free

The Unfound Academy

You can’t protect what you don’t understand.

Public blockchains reveal more than most people realize. Discover what the chain remembers, why privacy matters, and how Zcash changes the conversation.

Start learning Discover Zcash

The learning journey

From “what is Zcash?” to your first shielded payment.

404 says404 can’t be found. Your public transactions might be easier. Let’s fix that.

SeeWhat the chain already knows

  1. The Missing One sits calmly inside a busy investigation office. Caption: close one.

    Level 01The Public Chain Remembers

    Your wallet has a story.

    Most blockchains publish every transaction, forever. See what a single public address can reveal about the person behind it.

    8 min

UnderstandHow Zcash changes the picture

  1. The Missing One relaxes on a pile of golden Z coins beside a sign reading 404 Not Found, ZEC Found.

    Level 02Meet Zcash

    Meet Zcash.

    What Zcash and ZEC are, why they were created, how they relate to Bitcoin, and why Zcash offers both transparent and shielded transactions.

    8 min
  2. The Missing One drinks coffee in front of screens reading No Signal and No Face. No Trace.

    Level 03Understand Shielding

    Enter the shield.

    Transparent, shielding, fully shielded and deshielding transactions, and exactly what each one leaves public.

    9 min
  3. The Missing One relaxes with a coffee while chat bubbles around it ask for a face reveal, a real name and where it lives.

    Level 04Zero-Knowledge, Made Simple

    Prove it without revealing it.

    Zero-knowledge proofs in plain language, with a hands-on analogy, and why Zcash relies on zk-SNARKs.

    8 min

DoSafe, practical first steps

  1. The Missing One relaxes in a hot spring wearing a robe. Caption: unbothered, moisturized, happy, in my lane.

    Level 05Your First Zcash Wallet

    Ready to explore Zcash?

    Wallet types, shielded support, recovery phrases, official sources and address checks: a safety-first guide to getting started.

    9 min
  2. Three hooded figures around candles in a forest at dusk. Caption: you simply 404 ready.

    Level 06Your First Shielded Transaction

    Privacy is better when you understand it.

    A step-by-step walkthrough of receiving, checking, reviewing and sending a shielded payment, with fictional screens and no wallet connection.

    9 min

ExploreThe wider ecosystem, and the myths

  1. The Missing One waits at an airport gate marked 404 while the departures board reads Passenger Not Found.

    Level 07Meet Sapling

    Where Zcash meets a broader ecosystem.

    Two things called Sapling: the 2018 Zcash protocol upgrade and the independent sapling.cash platform. Plus native vs. bridged ZEC, and why Solana activity stays public.

    10 min
  2. The Missing One peeks from behind a browser window that reads 404 Not Found, Trace Failed.

    Level 08Privacy Myths

    Not everything is what it seems.

    Myth or fact? Eight common privacy beliefs, tested. Make your call, see the explanation, and share your score.

    6 min

How every level works

Go as deep as you like.

Each level makes sense on its own at the beginner tier. Everything else is optional.

  1. Beginner

    A plain-language explanation, a hands-on example and a few key takeaways.

  2. Explore

    Expandable detail for the curious: how it works, real-world context, edge cases.

  3. Deep dive

    The official docs and reputable sources the level was checked against.

What the labels mean

  • Zcash protocol factHow the Zcash protocol works, per its documentation.
  • Third-party platformDescribes an independent platform, per its own docs. Not $404’s claim.
  • $404 plan · not liveSomething $404 plans to build. Not live.
  • Illustrative exampleFictional data, made up for teaching. Never real blockchain data.
  • Safety guidanceGeneral safety advice. Not advice for your specific situation.

Academy × Privacy Lab

See it. Understand it. Choose.

The Academy is one half of a planned loop. The other half, the 404 Exposure Scanner, is still in development.

  1. 01In development

    See what’s public.

    The future 404 Exposure Scanner is designed to estimate how visible a public Solana wallet is, using only public on-chain information.

    Privacy Lab preview →
  2. 02Available

    Understand why it matters.

    The Academy explains transaction visibility, digital footprints and what the chain remembers.

    Level 01 →
  3. 03Available

    Discover privacy options.

    Wallet hygiene, Zcash, shielded transactions and safe first steps, explained honestly.

    Levels 02–06 →

The scanner is not live. When it ships, it will estimate visibility from public data only. It will not identify real-world people, and it cannot make anyone anonymous or guarantee privacy.

Official sources

Learn here. Verify there.

The Academy is a starting point. Zcash and Sapling run their own official sites, and every level links to them. How $404 relates to both.

Side quests

Privacy essentials

Habits that protect you everywhere, not only on chain. Each lesson ends with a short “do this today” checklist.

How lessons are checked

Sourced, not guessed.

Every level links to the specific pages it was reviewed against. Last reviewed November 2026.

  • Zcash: z.cash/learn and the Zcash ecosystem directory
  • Zcash documentation, the protocol specification and ZIPs
  • Sapling documentation (third-party platform, sapling.cash)
  • Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): Surveillance Self-Defense
  • NIST, CISA and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
  • Bitcoin whitepaper and ethereum.org documentation

The Academy is general education, not legal, financial, tax or security advice for your situation. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy any asset. $404 is not affiliated with Electric Coin Company, the Zcash Foundation or Sapling. Shielded transactions improve on-chain privacy, but no tool guarantees anonymity.