Horizen Network (ZEN) is a cryptocurrency made by Rob Viglione and Rolf Versluis in 2017. It is a decentralized blockchain network with optimal privacy features that aim to provide users with complete control over their digital footprint.

Horizen is a privacy-focused Zk-SNARKS based blockchain platform which includes a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) amongst a host of privacy tools to help users control their privacy on the internet. Forked from ZClassic in 2017 and rebranded to Horizen in 2018, the Zen cryptocurrency is mined using the Equihash Proof-of-work consensus mechanism. The implementation of ZK-Snarks allows users to retain privacy on their transactions as they are all shielded so they can not be seen by the outside public. 

Decentralized Applications (dApps) are a core feature of the Horizen Network and it is how they distribute their host of privacy-preserving tools. So far, they have released ZenChat, a secure P2P messaging application, ZenPub, an anonymous document publishing platform, and ZenHide, a domain fronting service.

The Horizen Network secures its network through a series of Secure Nodes and Super Nodes. Secure Nodes are nodes that verify the transactions and help to create new blocks. They are required to deposit collateral of 42 ZEN to reach the status of Secure Node. This provides an incentive for the node operator not to attack the network as he has collateral which will be attacked. The Secure Node operators must also meet minimum requirements in their hardware selection ensuring a minimum level of memory, processor speed, and reliability. The Super Nodes are pretty much beefed-up versions of Secure Nodes, however, Super Nodes require much higher minimum hardware requirements. Furthermore, Super Nodes require collateral of up to 500 ZEN to reach the Super Node status. The Super Node operators have greater weight when it comes to voting on governance as they are incentivized to keep the network healthy.