Aztec Labs

Shipping privacy products in the Aztec ecosystem.

Created by the original builders of the Aztec Network.

[Aztec Labs @AztecLabs_]

Aztec Labs has acquired Obsidion, the team behind @ZKPassport.

The Obsidion team will continue to develop ZKPassport while also leading new consumer product developments.

The ZKPassport protocol will remain open source.

[Aztec Labs @AztecLabs_]

we agree.

[binji @binji_x]

@devanshmehta @blendino encouraging to see obsidian working with a capitalized team like @AztecLabs_ now! Perhaps these sort of combinations can enable more work being funded to get it to hit consumer scale.

[binji @binji_x]

@devanshmehta @blendino encouraging to see obsidian working with a capitalized team like @AztecLabs_ now! Perhaps these sort of combinations can enable more work being funded to get it to hit consumer scale.

[Farryn @farrynft]

@AztecLabs_ @ZKPassport this is probably the cleanest way to explain private identity: prove the passport fact, not hand over the passport

[Macauley 🟪 Editooor @yeluacaM]

The "just shifting where the honeypots live" argument didn't sound quite right to me, but I wouldn't consider myself an expert, so I checked with someone who is — Joe Andrews (@jaosef), CEO of @AztecLabs_ — who said:

"The key point is that with zero-knowledge-based identity primitives, you do the verification one time, against government-issued credentials, and after that, you should never have to hand that data off to anyone again.

The State Department already issued the credential. It's sitting on an NFC chip in your passport, cryptographically signed. ZKPassport reads that chip locally, on your device, generates a proof of whatever attribute is required, and nothing else leaves the phone. There is no issuer in the middle retaining data.

The data honeypots don't exist in this model because the underlying data is never aggregated in the first place.

The idea that verifiable credentials create new data brokers is valid for verifiable credentials systems specifically, where an issuer has to mint and manage credentials, but solutions like ZKPassport sidestep that need entirely because the government already did the issuance years ago when they printed your passport.

The compliance objection to this model keeps getting raised and keeps getting answered the same way: a cryptographic proof of sanctions status or age or nationality is more tamper-resistant than a KYC database.

It satisfies the underlying regulatory requirement. The question now is whether regulators acknowledge that, and we're seeing early signs they're moving in that direction."

[Sandmark @sandmark_news]

1/ @AztecLabs_ has acquired Obsidion, the team behind ZKPassport, a protocol that verifies age, nationality or sanctions status from a passport without revealing personal data.

The deal lands as privacy retakes the spotlight: @Zcash +40% in May, @monero +30% since April.

[Aztec Labs @AztecLabs_]

ICYMI:

[Sandmark @sandmark_news]

1/ @AztecLabs_ has acquired Obsidion, the team behind ZKPassport, a protocol that verifies age, nationality or sanctions status from a passport without revealing personal data.

The deal lands as privacy retakes the spotlight: @Zcash +40% in May, @monero +30% since April.

[YAP Global @YAPGlobalTeam]

Privacy-preserving identity infrastructure is having a moment 👀

@AztecLabs_ has acquired the team behind @ZKPassport as governments and platforms face growing pressure around online age verification and identity checks.

More coverage below 👇

[_gabrielShapir0 @lex_node]

huge fan of @ZKPassport , we've been able to build amazing things with it at @MetaLeX_Labs

most importantly, we never had to do a sales onboarding call, or even know who they were--it just worked

that's the way to do it in crypto, not some SaaS sales nonsense

[cyp.eth @0xcyp]

very impressed with the latest moves of Aztec

[The Defiant @DefiantNews]

🤝

@AztecLabs_ acquires the team behind @ZKPassport to integrate privacy-preserving identity verification.

ZKPassport enables users to prove age, nationality, and proof of humanity without uploading personal data to any central server.

Read more here:

https://t.co/0Be43dlkhI

[Alex Pruden @apruden08]

@aztecnetwork @AztecLabs_ Big fan of this zk use case & excited to see its continued development!

[jaosef.eth @jaosef]

Aztec Labs has acquired Obsidion, the team behind ZKPassport.

We will continue the development as open source code, enabling private identity verification for all.

In the age of AI, deep fakes and surveillance states we need this now more than ever.

[zkpuzzlematt 🧩 @zkmattwyatt]

@AztecLabs_ @ZKPassport AYoooooooo huge congrats to @madztheo and @michaelelliot and huge congrats to Aztec team on knabbing a great pair/product!

Seems super synergistic between both and cool to see zkpassport go from workshops to acquisitions! congrats again!

[Théo Madzou @madztheo]

2 years ago, my cofounder, @michaelelliot, and I joined forces with one common objective: making true privacy-preserving identity verification a reality. This adventure took us through many challenges and obstacles. But one after the other, we pushed through.

Along the way, we found the @AztecLabs_ team to be constant supporters of ours. First, by laying the foundations for us to build ZKPassport through their development of Noir and Barretenberg, and then, by helping us make mobile proving a reality and pushing us towards production use cases as the Aztec Network decentralized.

Aztec was one of the very first teams in the industry advocating for privacy, and actually building the stack for it. They kept their vision alive for years on end, and made it a reality, as the rest of the industry now finally seems to realise that privacy is actually something we need.

This is a vision and a dedication we share at ZKPassport. And this is why I’m excited for this new chapter together with Aztec Labs. It’s time to make privacy the default again!

[Aztec Labs @AztecLabs_]

@donnoh_eth @aztecnetwork we are excited too 😀

Aztec Labs will continue to build and support useful, necessary, privacy-preserving products on top of the Aztec Network

[The Block @TheBlockCo]

Aztec Labs acquires ZKPassport, pledges to keep privacy protocol and iOS mobile app open-source https://t.co/sHa28Iaklv

[Aztec Labs @AztecLabs_]

@binji_x @ZKPassport its a very clear and obvious win for both parties:

- end users who no longer need to trust their personal data to random companies

- companies who end up getting hacked because of their data honeypots

[Aztec Labs @AztecLabs_]

Aztec Labs has acquired Obsidion, the team behind @ZKPassport.

The Obsidion team will continue to develop ZKPassport while also leading new consumer product developments.

The ZKPassport protocol will remain open source.

[Aztec @aztecnetwork]

Prove what's required. Reveal nothing else.

ZKPassport is joining @AztecLabs_, but the mission remains the same. 130+ countries, zero data uploaded, zero data stored.

Privacy that works in the real world: https://t.co/gFhFy3dHX7

[Andre Omietanski @punk6052]

◈ Private identity systems, underpinned by cryptography, not promises, are the future.

◈ They protect individuals against personal security risks.

◈ They help nation states limit national security risks of cyberattacks on its citizens.

[ZKPassport @ZKPassport]

Today, ZKPassport is joining @AztecLabs_ .

The mission stays the same: prove what's required, reveal nothing else. Nothing uploaded, nothing stored, nothing to leak.

More resources, more reach, same product you can use today.