Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) have gained significant attention within Web3, especially regarding digital identity systems. Vitalik Buterin has criticized ZK-wrapped identities for their risks, highlighting concerns over privacy and coercion while emphasizing that ZKPs do not address other risks like errors. He dismissed the potential of projects like World ID to underlie Universal Basic Income, indicating they merely provide minimal cryptocurrency for transactions. While ZKPs are being integrated into systems like Google’s mobile wallet and by governments for secure IDs, the efficacy of on-chain identity systems remains in question.
"Attempting to uphold a one-identity-per-person property entails risks such as loss of privacy and vulnerability to coercion. ZKPs fail to solve non-privacy risks such as errors."
"I do not expect such tokens to be worth anywhere close to enough to pay for a person's subsistence. The realistic problem that such mini-UBIs solve is giving people access to a sufficient quantity of cryptocurrency to make a few basic onchain transactions and online purchases."
"The idea of tying a secure digital ID to financial or humanitarian aid is one that has a groundswell of support, and many believe ZKPs can help to make this idea a reality."
"The Taiwanese government is leveraging Zero-Knowledge Proofs to secure digital IDs, while Google has integrated the tech into its mobile wallet, ensuring age verification across mobile devices, apps and websites using its Digital Credential API."
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