Zero-knowledge proofs could be used to solve the "biggest problem" plaguing the internet today: privacy, according to a cryptocurrency executive.
Speaking to Cointelegraph at the Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC), the head of marketing for privacy-focused infrastructure platform Aleo, Brennen Schlueter, said while ZK tests have become a popular solution to provide blockchains with enhanced scalability through ZK accumulations, they have the potential to reshape the entire internet.
ZK tests allow the transfer of information to take place between two parties where the originator only needs to disclose relevant information to the receiver. For example, to prove that a person is of legal age to enter a bar without revealing their real age or identity to a security guard.
Schlueter said that the modern Internet was not built to prioritize privacy of its users.
โWhen data needs to change hands, when data needs to be guarded, we're always going to have vulnerabilities there,โ Schlueter explained in the context of how easily a user's privacy can be violated online.
Great vibes everywhere in #infracon @EthCC yesterday!
From insightful panels on ZK testing to discussions about growing communities, I was all ears.
Panel sessions often provide free, battle-tested advice, which is incredibly informative and often underrated. pic.twitter.com/dau6yy7XEd
โ Marlin Intern (@marlin_intern) July 19, 2023
The ZK tests solve this privacy problem not just for Web3 but for the entire Internet, according to Schlueter.
Related: Welcome to healthy competition: leader of Polygon zkEVM
โWith zero-knowledge proofs, we can actually start to see how data can be protected early on by revealing the information that is required to know,โ he added.
"I think it changes the route we're taking with the Internet in general."
ZK testing could make life much easier for developers and data custodians, as they no longer have to choose between creating a private environment or optimize the user experience, Schlueter explained, adding:
"Those two things are at war with the way we currently structure the Internet."
Tiancheng Xie, CTO of the ZK-powered Polyhedra interoperability platform, told Cointelegraph that AI tools can also benefit from the privacy and censorship-resistance properties offered by ZK tests.
โScalable and connected,โ added Tiancheng Xie, CTO of @PolyhedraZK pic.twitter.com/UYSCtcQcS7
โ Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) July 19, 2023
Schlueter said that finance, identity and gaming are other sectors that benefit from ZK testing.
He stated that more financial institutions are seeking ZK solutions in a bid to strengthen privacy where businesses see fit.
Magazine: ZK-rollups are 'end game' for scaling blockchains, Polygon founder Miden
Additional reporting by Zhiyuan Sun.
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