Digital ID
Without
Privacy Violations
How Zero-Knowledge Proofs let you prove you're 18+ without revealing your name, birthdate, address, or any personal information.
The Problem Today
Current age verification laws require sharing full identity documents, creating serious privacy and security risks.
Traditional ID Check
Zero-Knowledge Proof
Data Honeypots
Websites become attractive targets for hackers when they store thousands of ID photos, names, and addresses. Recent breaches exposed 70,000+ documents.
Surveillance Risk
Third-party verification services can track which sites you visit and when, creating a permanent record tied to your real identity.
Geo-Blocking
Major platforms block entire states (Utah, Texas, Virginia) rather than implement invasive ID checks—limiting lawful access for millions.
Easy to Evade
Users bypass restrictions with VPNs, undermining safety goals while creating a false sense of compliance for policymakers.
What Are Zero-Knowledge Proofs?
A revolutionary cryptographic technique that lets you prove something is true without revealing any other information.
The Simple Explanation
Imagine showing a bouncer just the corner of your ID with the year visible— nothing else. They can verify you're old enough without seeing your name, address, or photo.
Zero-Knowledge Proofs do this mathematically. Your phone creates a cryptographic proof that says "I am 18+" without revealing your birthdate, name, or any other personal information.
Zero-Knowledge
The verifier learns only that the statement is true (age ≥ 18), nothing else about you.
Soundness
A fake proof won't verify. The cryptography guarantees you can't lie about your age.
Offline-Friendly
Verification works with a small proof and public key list—no government tracking.
How It Works: End-to-End
A possible implementation that keeps the state as a root of trust— without putting them in the transaction path.
Issuance (One-Time)
A state DMV or a licensed issuer verifies your age once (as they already do for driver's licenses). It would issue a Verifiable Credential to your phone that supports "age ≥ 18" proofs.
The issuer's public key would be published to a state-sponsored trust registry—no personal data, just the key needed to verify credentials.
You Keep the Credential
The credential would live in a secure wallet app on your phone. It's cryptographically signed and can't be forged or tampered with.
Think of it like a digital driver's license, but designed specifically for privacy-preserving proofs.
Website Requests Proof
When you visit a site that requires age verification, it asks: "Prove you are 18+." The wallet would generate a Zero-Knowledge Proof from your credential.
The proof reveals only "Yes, I'm 18+"—not your birthdate, name, address, or any other information. Each proof is unique and can't be reused or tracked.
Offline Verification
The website would verify your proof locally using the state's published public keys (downloaded periodically). No API call to the government. No IP logs. No tracking.
The site learns only that you're verified as 18+. Your personal data never leaves your device.
The Result: States would get effective age-gating that's resistant to fraud and data breaches. Platforms reduce liability. Adults keep their privacy.
Key Benefits
Zero-Knowledge Proofs solve the privacy problem while maintaining security and compliance.
Data Minimization
Share only "over 18"—not your full identity. Selective disclosure limits what information is revealed.
Lower Breach Risk
Sites don't store piles of IDs. Fewer data honeypots means fewer breaches and less liability.
Cryptographically Secure
Mathematical proofs guarantee validity. States publish verification keys but don't see your visits.
Harder to Evade
Privacy-preserving verification means sites have less reason to geo-block or force invasive checks.
Standards-Based
Built on W3C Verifiable Credentials and ISO 18013-5 for interoperability across states and vendors.
Inclusive Access
Multiple issuers and fallback paths ensure everyone can obtain and present proofs.
See It In Action
Real-world projects implementing Zero-Knowledge Proofs for digital identity today
Privado ID
Core open-source framework for credential issuance, wallet SDKs, and verifier tooling
→ Browse issuer, verifier, and SDK modules to see how proofs and schemas work
Polygon ID Age Proof Demo
Next.js demo showing ZK proof that you're over a certain age without revealing birthdate
→ See how proof requests work and how wallets integrate
MATTR Pairing Crypto
Rust library for pairing-based cryptography including BBS+ signatures and selective disclosure proofs
→ Build selective disclosure modules for your own wallet
Uptick ID
Public identity chain variation of the Privado ID ecosystem
→ See chain-based identity infrastructure in practice
These projects use standards like W3C Verifiable Credentials, DIDs, and ISO/IEC 18013-5 mobile driver's licenses (mDL) with modern ZK proof systems including Groth16, PlonK, Halo2, STARKs, and BBS+
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Zero-Knowledge Proofs for digital identity.