Optional anonymity is not an anonymity. EU will give 5 billions euros to Universities and research institutions over whole Europe to research and develop different tracing applications. ZCash with is optional anonymity will be an easy target.
Wrong.
You do not understand probably how zcash works.
There is 2 transaction method which you choose.
1.Starting with "T" letter is just as pseudoanonimous as original Bitcoin and basiclly is Bitcoin Core 0.11 fork version.
2. Starting with "z" letter is fully anonimous and based on ZKsnark - Zero Knowledge proof algorithm.
Blokchain is not transpared and transaction is anonimous.
Still there is coins with transparent blokchain and annonimous transactions like Dash.Well at least Dash say so.
Zcash is also planing to be integrated in Raiden Network and atomic swap with ETH soon.
So I think it will be better,annonimous paying method against ETH ,LTC or BTC soon (mainstream 1-2 years)
AlphaBay is Big.
Even it is 1 month latter news I expext grow with real usage.
P.S.
It is funny that some research institutes like Masachusets Institute of Technology and Tel-Aviv University is working for Privacy in net.
While others financed by EU is working against it.
I am betting on zcash and Israel research institutes.EU have no chance here.