Proof-of-Citizenship (PoC)
Delivers privacy-first identity verification with no unnecessary data exposure using Zero-Knowledge Proofs.
User Journey
Alice wants to access a web3 platform that requires KYC. With zkMe, she verifies her citizenship and age without exposing any sensitive ID details. After a single verification, she receives a Proof-of-Citizenship credential in the form of a Soulbound Token (SBT) that contains a zero-knowledge proof. This token gives her access to multiple partner services, saving time and keeping her personal data private.
See It in Action
Discover how users can verify their identity and get their zkPoC credential in just a few simple steps.
Why zkMe zkPoC?
Privacy first: Protect users' privacy with advanced cryptography technologies.
Decentralized: No fixed or controlled role in zkMe zkKYC by a single entity.
Fulfill compliance requirement: Meet global KYC requirements while minimizing intrusion.
Reusable zkKYC: Users only need to be verified once to access multiple partnered services.
Full Security: No personally identifiable information is stored in a central server, eliminating the risk of data leaks.
Seamless Integration: Easily integrate your entire verification flow within seconds using our Web and Mobile SDK.
How It Works
The Zero-Knowledge Proof-of-Citizenship (zkPoC) procedure verifies a user's citizenship without revealing sensitive personal data. It involves biometric checks, face matching, and document verification to ensure the user's authenticity and eliminate fraudulent activities. Here's a high-level overview of the procedure:
Define Verification Criteria:
Age Verification: Specify the age range that qualifies for the verification process.
Citizenship Coordinates: Define the specific area or country within which you want to verify the user's citizenship.
Documents Required: List of acceptable documents for citizenship proof (e.g., passport, national ID).
User Identity Verification:
Identity Document Check: Verify the authenticity of the submitted Identity documents.
Liveness Checks: Use the user's device camera to perform a liveness check to ensure the user is a real person and not a bot.
Face Match: Compare user faces to ensure the user’s face matches the photo on their submitted documents.
Generate Random Number: The user's device generates a random number as part of the zkPoC process.
Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) Protocol:
Commitment Phase: The user generates a cryptographic commitment. This commitment includes hashed information about their citizenship without revealing actual coordinates or sensitive data. And the commitment is securely stored on the user's device, ensuring it cannot be tampered with.
Challenge Phase: The verifier (the service or entity performing the verification) selects a random challenge to ensure the user's commitment is valid and sent to the user's device for processing.
Response Generation: The user’s device processes the challenge by combining it with the previously generated random number and the commitment, then sends the response back to the verifier.
Response Validation: The verifier checks the validity of the response and whether it satisfies the verification criteria, without gaining knowledge of the user's detailed personal information.
Verification Result: Based on the verification outcome, the verifier confirms the user's citizenship. If the verification is successful, the user is granted access to the next steps.
Key Benefits
zkMe's zkPoC protocol is designed to fundamentally shift the paradigm of digital identity verification, moving from data extraction to trust minimization. The key benefits extend beyond privacy to create a more efficient and secure ecosystem for all participants.
Uncompromising User Privacy: By leveraging Zero-Knowledge Proofs, we ensure that users can prove eligibility criteria (like age or citizenship) without ever revealing the underlying document details. This "data minimization" principle is baked directly into the protocol, ensuring personal data never leaves the user's device.
Enhanced Security & Reduced Risk: The decentralized architecture eliminates centralized databases of sensitive personal information, which are prime targets for hackers. By storing only anonymized, tamper-proof SBTs on-chain, we significantly reduce the risk and liability associated with data breaches for both services and their users.
Regulatory Compliance by Design: The protocol is built to fulfill global KYC/AML requirements while minimizing intrusion. Features like the
Certifysmart contract provide regulators with a necessary, auditable trail for investigations without forcing full personal data exposure during routine checks.User-Centric Reusability: The Soulbound Token (SBT) model empowers users. A single, one-time verification grants them a reusable credential that can be used across a growing ecosystem of partner services. This eliminates repetitive KYC checks, saving time and reducing friction.
Seamless Interoperability: The protocol is designed for a multi-chain future. The Proof Delegation function allows users to seamlessly bridge their verified credential across different blockchain ecosystems, ensuring their digital identity is portable and not locked into a single platform.
Use Cases to Benefit
The zkPoC protocol unlocks a new wave of privacy-preserving and compliant applications across Web3 and beyond.
Permissioned DeFi and Airdrops: Decentralized Finance platforms can ensure regulatory compliance for lending, borrowing, or high-value transactions by requiring proof of citizenship or non-sanctioned status. Projects can conduct targeted, compliant airdrops to users from specific jurisdictions without learning their full identities.
Gated Content and Social Platforms: Social media or content-streaming services can restrict access based on geographic licensing agreements. Users can prove they reside in an eligible country without submitting a copy of their utility bill or passport.
Age-Restricted Services & NFTs: Platforms offering financial services, adult content, or age-gated experiences (e.g., VR worlds) can reliably verify a user is over 18 or 21, protecting minors and ensuring legal compliance without collecting birthdates or ID scans.
Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs): DAOs can implement proof-of-personhood or proof-of-citizenship to prevent sybil attacks and ensure fair voting, guaranteeing that each vote comes from a unique, eligible individual without doxxing their members.
Enterprise and Supply Chain Onboarding: Corporations can streamline the onboarding of contractors or verify the legal status of entities in a supply chain. Partners can prove their credentials and good standing while keeping sensitive corporate data confidential.
Pricing & Integration
From startups to scale-ups, our pricing and simple integration are designed to support your growth and follow industry best practices.
A flat rate of US$0.5 per verification applies, which is around ⅓ of typical providers charge, giving you a clear and transparent cost model.
We stand by the value of our offering and provide a price-match guarantee for equivalent services upon review of a valid quotation.
Drop us a line at [email protected] and let’s kick things off!
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