Why zero-knowledge KYC won’t work
2 min read
The emergence of
These eternal ledgers are not designed for personal privacy, and for such use, they are not compliant with privacy regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation and California Consumer Privacy Act. A few significant issues relate to the fact that even encrypted data is considered personally identifiable information. Any such information must be deleted upon request according to these privacy regulations.
Because storing personal information on a blockchain furthers non-compliance with privacy regulations, it is not an ideal solution for storing any form of (verified) personal information on-chain.
What other solutions do blockchain projects have?
Due to the limitations that each blockchain is limited to information and data available on that given chain, builders in the space must consider other blockchain native mechanisms. Any credential design that provides a form of compliance must avoid privacy violations and ensure that the final infrastructure meets the necessary identity verification and regulatory requirements. Technology advancements far outpace regulatory progress; however, disregarding these rules hinders the technology’s adoption.
In addition, when proofs alone are insufficient, and personal information sharing between the participants of a transaction is essential, relying only on off-chain solutions is advised. One example includes decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials. Another option is to employ off-chain zero-knowledge proofs, which provide privacy protection and are suitable for off-chain data verification.
Balázs Némethi is the CEO of Veri Labs and a co-founder of kycDAO. He is also the founder of Taqanu, a blockchain-based bank for people without addresses, including refugees. He’s a graduate of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
