2022 zCloak Network Product and Technology Overview
2022 is a year when zCloak Network developed quickly. We have achieved many milestones and grew step by step steadily. As we are approaching the Chinese New Year, we would like to take the opportunity to share with everyone our achievements for the year. 😉
zCloak Network began its core use case exploration in 2022 for Decentralized Identifier (DID) and Verifiable Credentials (VC) — from the zkID Credential platform, an end-to-end encryption platform that enables the creation and issuance of DIDs and VCs, to the zkID Wallet, which securely stores and manages DIDs and VCs, and finally to an SDK based on user VC that facilitates developers to build and innovate. In addition, zCloak has introduced zkID Login, which is a universal Credentials protocol. Users can generate zero-knowledge proofs of their VCs proof based on this protocol, without their credential information being leaked to anyone, fully protecting user privacy.
As the 2023 Lunar New Year kicks off, let’s take a look back at what zCloak Network’s course of development on products and technology.
Products Overview
zkID Credential Platform
The zkID Credential platform is a full-featured DID platform that enables the design, attestation and verification of Verifiable Credentials. All communications between users and attesters on the platform are powered by end-to-end encryption technology, which fully ensures user data privacy.
The zkID Credential platform makes all its functions open to the public, which means that users can experience all of the Claimer, Attester, and Verifier features freely. All the operations on the platform are permissionless and zero-cost.
Core Functions
Generating DIDs (Decentralized Identifier)
As a Claimer:
- Receive a digital credential attested by a trusted entity
- Share credentials with others (selective disclosure option included)
As an Attester:
- Create, and publish Credential Types
- Approve or reject the credential requests from users
- Issue credentials to users
As a Verifier:
- Receive credential shared by other users, including full-text disclosure and selective disclosure
Main Features
- The platform is developed based on zCloak’s implementation of the W3C DID protocol ‘did:zk:’. This approach makes our DID protocol compatible and interoperable with different blockchains and platforms.
- Complete and convenient VC management and attestation functions. The platform has two built-in roles, Claimer and Attester, to enable multi-party credential application, review, and attestation.
- User data is invisible, yet verifiable. Based on advanced cryptographic tools such as zero-knowledge proof, users can generate proofs for their credential data and preserve their privacy.
zkID Wallet
The zkID Wallet is the world’s first browser extension wallet that can perform universal zero-knowledge proof computation. It is both a carrier of user self-sovereign data and a zero-knowledge proof computing environment on user end that is compatible with all other public chain extension wallets.
The wallet is implemented as a browser extension that securely stores a user’s DID and Verifiable Credentials. Users can use zkID Wallet to display all or part of their credential information to third parties. They can also use it to display portrait tags generated by zero-knowledge proof without exposing any credential data.
Core Functions
• DID’s creation, storage, and export
• Credential’s import and storage
• Credential display and usage records
• General purpose computation zero-knowledge proof generation and sharing based on credential data
Primary Features
- Users have data sovereignty. zkID Wallet supports encrypting DID keys with user passwords and storing VCs in user device. Only users can access their DID account and personal data.
- Users control the use of data. Whenever a credential stored in a user’s wallet is being called, the user gets notifications on how the data is going to be used. In this way, the user has absolute control over what to share, to whom to share, and how it will be shared.
- Share of proof, not raw data. Without disclosing any of the credential data, users can choose to perform zero-knowledge proof computation on their credentials, then present the results and their corresponding zero-knowledge proofs to the public to display personal tags and attributes. For example, users can publically present the tag of being ‘an adult investor’ without revealing any personally identifiable information.
zkID Login
zkID Login is a set of API and SDK for developers that are seamlessly compatible with existing Web2 and Web3 applications. Developers can use the API provided by zkID Login to interact with the zkID Wallet, in order to obtain the credential information that users authorized to disclose, which also supports one-click verification of the authenticity and validity of the credentials. zkID Login enables the use of a common interface for the display of all types of VCs in different scenarios.
Primary Features
- From 0 to 1. zkID Login for the first time defines the usage pattern of VCs for third-party applications, and provides verification SDK for different application scenarios, reducing development difficulties.
- Highly compatible. zkID Login is compatible with various Credential Types to meet the needs of credential presentation from different issuer entities.
Technology Overview
zkID DID and Verifiable Credential Protocol
zkID-SDK is a set of protocol implementations compliant with W3C DID and VC specifications. It provides the underlying technical feasibility support for zCloak’s collection of products. For more information, visit our repo.
ZKP in WASM
Support for ZKP Prover and Verifier to run in browser environment, enabling end-to-end zero-knowledge proof generation and verification, extensively expanding the usage scenarios of privacy VCs.
One-Click Generation of ZK Program
zCloak’s ZKP program is designed based on the Polygon Miden VM. They can be generated with just one click for different types of VC and computation rules using a no-code web interface. The official version of the generator will be available to the community in Q1 2023.
Exploring some interesting use cases
- DID + VC for Decentralized Social Relations
zCloak team explored the application of “DID+VC” in decentralized social networking and held the Christmas Card event, which is the world’s first DID-based event to make social relations private. With zCloak’s DID protocol, users can send Christmas greetings to friends and family while inviting each other to confirm their social relationship, thus fully experiencing the appeal of Web3’s self-sovereign data technology.
zCloak Christmas Card Event 2022 details: Link
- ZKP + VC for Non-identity related Scenarios (Sports Guessing)
zCloak team has also explored “ZKP+VC” for privacy protection in other interesting scenarios, such as in the guessing and prediction industry, where verifiable credentials combined with zero-knowledge proofs can provide tamper resistance and privacy protection to complete guesses without disclosing users’ guessing information, thus preventing potential manipulation of game results.
zCloak Network, along with multiple partner projects, hosted the world’s first zero-knowledge-based World Cup guessing event. With zCloak’s DID protocol, users can cryptographically commit to the winning team in the form of verifiable credentials on their local device. The guessing is completed without revealing the name of the team they guessed to the public.
Link to details of the World Cup Guessing Event:
DID and Verifiable Credential — Let’s Talk About Something New
