ZKID Revealing a new chapter of privacy security empowerment for digital identities

ZKID Empowering Digital Identities with Next-Level Privacy and Security

Once upon a time, maintaining personal identity was a relatively simple task; essential documents like passports and birth certificates were kept secure and shared face-to-face when necessary. However, as the digital realm becomes our new territory, and we enjoy the convenience of virtual identity verification, we gradually discover that the convenience and accessibility of centralized data systems come with complex problems and fragmentation, presenting users with a tricky choice: should we sacrifice privacy and security for convenience and accessibility?

Initially, the idea of centralizing our data was meant to streamline processes but inadvertently made us more vulnerable. Data was stored in centralized digital databases, becoming a magnet for hackers. This has led to a chaotic online environment with frequent data breaches and third parties taking control of our personal information, which is often stolen, traded, and misused. With advancements in zero-knowledge technology, it has become feasible to regain control over digital identity through the strategic implementation of acclaimed solutions such as decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs).

Challenging Conventions with ZKP

ZK is a concept in the field of cryptography that focuses on verifying the validity of information. It allows one party to prove to another that they possess certain private information without exposing that information. This is achieved by providing evidence that the information satisfies specific conditions while protecting additional details.

In the context of establishing identity, the verification process seems relatively straightforward. It occurs when we provide our identity to external parties to confirm specific information, such as the legal drinking age requirement of 21 in the United States. However, the real complexity lies in ensuring that we only share the specific information we wish to disclose because every time someone checks our ID to confirm our age, they unintentionally acquire a significant amount of additional personal data, including our birthdate, residential address, and other sensitive information. This situation requires us to reconsider the way identity verification is approached to address this challenge.

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ZK cryptography allows us to fundamentally change the traditional “trust and assume” model to a “verify and trust” paradigm. In this new framework, trust is no longer taken for granted but gradually earned through verification of assertions. Individuals can now prove their own claims, such as age, nationality, or other identity-related proofs, without revealing sensitive information.

Absolute anonymity may not always align with the practical goals of effectively utilizing digital identity. This is where the concept of selective disclosure, aided by ZK technology, becomes crucial. While the default configuration emphasizes comprehensive privacy, we must recognize that privacy operates within a continuum, and users should have the ability to selectively disclose relevant information as needed.

Who is adopting ZK for digital identity?

Polygon ID

Polygon ID represents a self-sovereign identity solution that incorporates ZKPs to establish default privacy settings. By adopting the Circom ZK toolkit, it achieves the creation of zero-knowledge proof structures, specifically zkSNARKs circuits, simplifying complexity and improving efficiency.

The core of Polygon ID consists of three key modules: identity holders, issuers, and verifiers, collectively referred to as the “trust triangle” by Polygon.

1. Identity Holders: Responsible for protecting the claims of entities in their digital wallets. Issuers issue verifiable credentials (VC) to identity holders. Subsequently, identity holders generate zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) for the received VCs and submit these proofs to verifiers. The role of verifiers is to validate the authenticity of the proofs and check if they meet pre-defined standards.

2. Issuers: Entities (individuals or organizations) responsible for issuing VCs to identity holders. Issuers add encrypted signatures to VCs, and each VC is generated by a specific issuer.

3. Verifiers: Responsible for validating the proofs submitted by identity holders. Verifiers initiate requests asking holders to provide proofs based on the VCs stored in their digital wallets. During the verification process, verifiers perform several evaluations, such as confirming if the VCs are signed by the expected issuers and ensuring they comply with verifiers’ specific standards.

Image source: Polygon ID

By leveraging zero-knowledge proofs to verify state transitions, Polygon ID achieves two critical goals: maintaining the integrity of identity states and preventing unauthorized modifications. This approach establishes a robust mechanism to ensure privacy and security during identity state transitions.

Sismo

Sismo is a platform that empowers users with greater control over their personal data, utilizing zero-knowledge proofs and privacy protection technology. Sismo’s innovative solution revolves around Sismo Connect, a privacy-centered alternative to traditional centralized single-sign-on (SSO) systems like “Sign in with Google” or restricted options like “Sign in with Ethereum”.

Sismo Connect enables applications to request access to user data without directly handling sensitive personal information. By integrating their identity within a Data Vault through Sismo Connect, users have a secure encrypted repository to store various personal data collected from diverse Web2 and Web3 sources, including credentials and proofs.

Image source from Sismo

In the data insurance repository, users can securely store independent data units called data gems, which contain important aspects of their digital identity. These data gems can include records from registers, platform contributions, or specific demographic information. The data insurance repository acts as a secure and tamper-proof storage, ensuring that users fully own and control their integrated digital identities.

By leveraging Sismo’s communication protocol, users can confirm their ownership of data gems by generating zero-knowledge proofs. These proof-based verification methods allow users to confirm their control over specific data without revealing sensitive information, ensuring a high level of privacy protection throughout the process. Applications closely integrated with Sismo Connect can accept and verify these proofs, empowering users to disclose the power of their data gems in a subtle manner while preserving the confidentiality of the relevant data sources.

For developers, integrating Sismo Connect into their applications allows them to access a wide range of user data from Web2 and Web3 sources. By integrating Sismo Connect, applications can enhance their functionalities, including access management, reputation integration, and personalized user experiences, while protecting user privacy through selective disclosure mechanisms.

ZLianGuaiss by Aleo

zLianGuaiss is a privacy-centered credentials protocol recently launched by Aleo on October 25th. This solution is carefully crafted and fully leveraging ZK cryptography as a versatile tool to adapt to the ever-changing regulatory environment. The primary goal of this system is to provide robust verification while limiting data exposure, making it compliant with current and potential future regulatory standards.

Through zLianGuaiss, individuals and organizations can securely store identity documents on private devices and services without the need for an online connection. They can then share these anonymous “proofs” to verify underlying data with relevant institutions. This approach greatly simplifies regulatory compliance and cybersecurity challenges typically associated with direct data storage.

Users have autonomous control over generating these proofs without the need for modification or collaboration with identity issuing authorities. This enables users to have precise control over the information they share and the recipients, ensuring that only the personal data required for verification is disclosed.

The image is sourced from Aleo

For example, imagine a scenario where a user wants to use their passport to confirm their identity for accessing a specific online service. With zLianGuaiss, users can independently process and verify passport data locally. The end result is a binary true/false outcome and a zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) that confirms the accuracy of the result without exposing the actual document.

zLianGuaiss easily embeds established credentials like passports as verifiable evidence into the Aleo blockchain. This is achieved through Aleo’s ability to execute programs that generate proofs directly on user devices, all implemented using WebAssembly (WASM). This approach ensures the protection of sensitive data within a secure local environment.

zkSBT by Manta Network

The zero-knowledge Soulbond Token (zkSBT) by Manta Network leads the way in privacy and security, surpassing traditional Soulbond Tokens (SBTs) that are non-transferable digital identity tokens stored on the blockchain. zkSBT utilizes zero-knowledge proofs to facilitate secure and confidential minting, while preserving the privacy of ownership. These tokens can be used across various blockchain networks, including Ethereum, Polygon, BNB Chain, among others, while maintaining their privacy features within the Manta Network ecosystem. Verification is achieved through Proof Keys, which eliminates the need to disclose wallet details, making the verification process seamless.

zkSBT is closely linked to zkAddress, acting as a reusable and transparent destination for confidential assets within the Manta Network. Each zkSBT is associated with a specific zkAddress, allowing multiple zkSBTs to coexist under a single zkAddress. zkSBTs contain metadata, including profile pictures, AI-generated images, and social relationship data, providing exceptional flexibility.

Manta Network introduces a key technology called Proof Key, which enables users to verify their identity and zkSBT ownership on the blockchain without relying on wallet signatures. This innovation simplifies mobile app integration and opens the door to various verification scenarios, including protecting the privacy of profile pictures, conducting on-chain transactions without exposing address details, verifying ownership of in-game items, and securely accessing decentralized social graph information.

Worldcoin

In the Worldcoin ecosystem, World ID is a global identity protocol driven by two key technologies. These technologies allow individuals to digitize and confirm their personality and humanity while protecting their privacy. The foundational components of this system include ZKP and Semaphore, a generic open-source privacy layer based on zk-SNARKs technology, applicable to Ethereum applications. The system relies on a strong Proof of Personality (PoP) credential, verified through an advanced biometric imaging device called The Orb. This synergy enables individuals to digitally verify their unique identity and humanity.

Whenever users use their World ID, ZKP comes into play to verify their unique human identity. This means that no third party can access the user’s World ID or wallet public key, ensuring that cross-application tracking is impossible. Importantly, it guarantees that the use of World ID is completely independent of any form of biometric data or iris codes. The basic principle is that when you try to establish your unique human identity, you should be able to do so without revealing any personal information about yourself, such as name, email address, social profiles, etc.

The following outlines the process for verifying World ID registration, allowing users to establish their unique human identity without revealing personal information.

Image source from Worldcoin

The main goal of this project is to verify the uniqueness of humans through encrypted on-chain iris scans to curb the proliferation of robots and artificial intelligence. The system generates ZKP to verify identities when necessary. Despite this, Worldcoin faces scrutiny from community members concerned about the privacy, ethical considerations, and security risks associated with storing biometric data. Despite the project’s criticism, as of October 2023, there have been over 2.3 million World ID registrations covering more than 100 countries.

Summary

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, the importance of ZKP is increasingly evident. ZKP paves the way for future identity verification, ensuring user privacy is respected. Decentralized identity verification solutions employing ZK technology face a major hurdle of fragmentation of data across different blockchain networks. Currently, there is no universally interoperable solution that allows users to seamlessly use their identities across different networks, limiting the use of DIDs within each blockchain.

However, DID technology utilizing ZK is gradually gaining popularity and attracting the attention of industry leaders. As the Web3 space continues to expand, we find ourselves standing on the precipice of potential industry breakthroughs. Companies like Sismo are striving to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3. PolygonID seems to have the necessary technology and broad market access to act as a catalyst for achieving DIDs.

With ongoing technological advancements and deeper understanding of ZKP, we can foresee the broader application of ZK-based digital identity verification, enhancing the security and privacy of our online interactions and laying a solid foundation for a more secure and confidential digital future.

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