What is a Zero Knowledge Proof?

December 8, 2018

Promiscuous sharing of identity attributes has long been a primary weakness in identity management. Sovrin is built to support the use of sharing as little information as possible to give each identity holder the ability to control and secure their personal information. This is called minimal disclosure.

The Sovrin Network’s minimal disclosure is enabled through a cryptographic technique called zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP). Zero Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) are cryptographic techniques that allow users to share information without relinquishing their security and privacy. ZKPs use cryptography to prove a statement from party A (known as a prover) to party B (known as a verifier) without revealing anything else.

Using zero knowledge proofs, the Sovrin Network allows a person to prove things about themselves, based on verifiable claims, without having to reveal the claim itself. An example would be someone proving that they are over 21 at a bar purely with the zero knowledge proof, without needing to disclose their actual age, name, or other personal information.

Read more about how Sovrin implements ZKP here