Anna and Kobi chat with Kostas Kryptos about the zkLogin project and Aayush Gupta about the ZK Email + Email Wallet projects. They discuss web2 onboarding into web3, the solutions each project came up with, and future use cases. Topics include simplifying onboarding process with Google, the role of salt in privacy on the blockchain, building ZK Email and privacy on chain, RSA signatures in email circuits, and comparing similar solutions.
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Quick takeaways
ZK login focuses on using familiar web 2 identity providers like Google or Apple to create accounts on the blockchain, simplifying the onboarding process and eliminating the need for passwords and mnemonics.
ZK email offers email addresses as a primary identifier for authentication, leveraging zero knowledge proofs to ensure privacy and security, and enabling various social and privacy-focused interactions.
Both ZK login and ZK email utilize different zero-knowledge proof systems, such as Groth 16 and R1CS-based systems, to achieve their goals, providing secure and private authentication methods for web 3 applications.
Deep dives
ZK can bridge web 2 identities and web 3 accounts
In this week's podcast episode, the hosts explore how ZK technology can be used to connect web 2 identities and logins with web 3 accounts. Two projects, ZK login and ZK email, are discussed, both aiming to solve the problem of onboarding and authentication in the decentralized web. ZK login, built by the team behind the SWE network, focuses on using familiar web 2 identity providers like Google or Apple to create accounts on the blockchain. ZK email, on the other hand, focuses on using email addresses as a form of authentication, leveraging zero knowledge proofs to keep user data private. Both projects offer solutions that simplify the onboarding process and provide secure and private authentication methods for web 3 applications.
Differences between ZK login and ZK email
Although ZK login and ZK email share a similar goal of bridging web 2 identities with web 3 accounts, there are significant differences between the two projects. ZK login, developed by the team behind the SWE network, integrates with existing single sign-on providers like Google, Facebook, and Apple. It aims to provide a seamless onboarding experience by eliminating the need for users to remember passwords and mnemonics. ZK email, on the other hand, focuses on using email addresses as a primary identifier for authentication. It offers users the ability to send and receive funds via email, using zero knowledge proofs to ensure privacy and security. While ZK login emphasizes integration with web 2 identity providers, ZK email is more centered around creating a full-fledged email wallet and enabling various social and privacy-focused interactions using zero knowledge proofs.
Benefits and use cases of ZK login and ZK email
Both ZK login and ZK email offer several benefits and use cases for users in the decentralized web. ZK login provides a user-friendly and convenient way for individuals to create blockchain accounts using their existing web 2 identity provider credentials. This simplifies the onboarding process and eliminates the need to manage complex passwords or cryptographic keys. ZK email, on the other hand, enables secure and private transactions and social interactions using email addresses as identifiers. Users can send and receive funds via email, ensuring privacy and anonymity. Additionally, ZK email can be used for various applications beyond the traditional email system, such as programmable private data or whistleblowing. Both projects leverage zero-knowledge proofs to ensure data privacy and trust on the decentralized web.
Implementation and technical details
ZK login and ZK email are built on top of zero-knowledge proof systems with different technical implementations. ZK login uses Groth 16 and R1CS-based systems, such as Plonk, to achieve its goals. It offers a production-ready solution that integrates with existing single sign-on providers. ZK login combines a user-friendly interface with cryptographic techniques to provide a seamless onboarding experience. ZK email, on the other hand, employs Sercom and Halo 2, both utilizing Groth 16, to enable secure and private email-based transactions. These systems allow for the creation of proofs that can be posted on-chain or verified off-chain, depending on the user's preference. By leveraging these zero-knowledge proof systems, ZK email provides a powerful new paradigm for identity and privacy in decentralized applications.
ZK Login and ZK Email prioritize privacy and selective disclosure
ZK Login and ZK Email both prioritize anonymity and privacy in their respective systems. They utilize zero-knowledge proofs to ensure user identities are hidden while also providing selective disclosure of certain information. ZK Email allows users to prove specific attributes about their identity without revealing their full identity. ZK Login, on the other hand, enables users to log in to various services without exposing personal information. Both systems rely on the security guarantees provided by the underlying zero-knowledge proof algorithm, such as Groth 16, and also prioritize compression to reduce the amount of data stored on the blockchain.
ZK Email and ZK Login ensure secure and efficient authentication
ZK Email and ZK Login provide secure and efficient authentication methods. ZK Email utilizes RSA signatures and SHA hashes to authenticate emails and extract specific information from them using regex. This approach allows users to prove the authenticity of their emails without revealing sensitive information. Meanwhile, ZK Login allows users to securely log in to different services by providing cryptographic proof of their identity. The system relies on validators that store and verify mail server keys, providing a robust authentication mechanism. Both systems prioritize security, privacy, and ease of use, making authentication processes more reliable and user-friendly.
This week Anna and cohost Kobi chat with both Kostas Kryptos from Mysten Labs, discussing the zkLogin project and Aayush Gupta representing the ZK Email + Email Wallet projects. They explore the use case of web2 onboarding into web3, through the lens of these two different projects which emerged independently but share a lot of the same characteristics.
They discuss the way this use case problem was first identified, the solution that each project came up with independently, the decisions that each project took and the future use cases they would enable.
Here’s some additional links mentioned in this episode:
Launching soon, Namada is a proof-of-stake L1 blockchain focused on multichain, asset-agnostic privacy, via a unified shielded set. Namada is natively interoperable with fast-finality chains via IBC, and with Ethereum using a trust-minimised bridge.
Follow Namada on Twitter @namada for more information and join the community on Discord discord.gg/namada
