How zero-knowledge proof technology is replacing the need for a user to upload IDs everywhere.
Every digital service today faces the same problem: how to verify users without becoming a data warehouse with sensitive user data. Merchants must confirm age, location, or eligibility to satisfy regulators and prevent fraud. Users want access without surrendering documents and their privacy to every platform they encounter.
Traditional identity systems force one side to lose. Users visiting age restricted platforms like Gaming, Gambling, Adult Content today need to upload government IDs to prove their age, exposing sensitive personal data. Merchants that don't enforce these checks face regulatory penalties, like in the case of AVS Group Ltd. There is a need for a solution that proves certain attributes without compromising privacy.
A Privacy-Preserving Alternative
“Verify with Concordium ID” can prove statements about a user such as age, nationality, and accreditation status without exposing personal data. This allows businesses to receive cryptographic proofs, also known as zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), that they can trust and are accepted by regulators as a valid proof of attributes, while not encroaching on their users' privacy. Users on the other hand keep control of their data and privacy while satisfying verification requirements instantly.
How “Verify with Concordium ID” Works
“Verify with Concordium ID” enables users to prove specific facts without revealing underlying personal data.
Here's the process:
- Off-chain verification: Trusted identity providers conduct ID verification outside the blockchain using traditional methods.
- Zero-knowledge proofs: Only cryptographic proofs are on the blockchain, never documents, names, or any user data.
- Selective disclosure: Businesses receive exactly what they need. A wine shop learns "customer is 18+" without seeing a birthdate. A payment platform confirms "user is a US-national" without accessing an address.
This architecture allows for privacy with accountability. Merchants receive verifiable claims they can trust. Regulators maintain audit capability through controlled access mechanisms, without breaching general privacy.
The technology supports three types of zero-knowledge proofs:
- Range proofs: confirm a value falls within bounds, such as age over 18, without revealing a birthdate
- Reveal proofs: disclose a single verified attribute, such as nationality
- Set membership / non-membership proofs: show inclusion in or exclusion from a group, such as EU residency, without specifying the country
“Verify with Concordium ID” in Use
Hundreds of merchants are already exploring integration of Concordium's 1-Click Verify & Pay technology that embeds identity assurance (“Verify with Concordium ID”) directly into transaction flows, combining verification with low-cost, fast-finality stablecoin payments (via Concordium Pay). Global wallet providers like Bitcoin.com and Ledger are integrating it natively to enable access for millions of users later this quarter.
Age-Restricted e-Commerce
An e-commerce marketplace is now driving faster checkouts for its customers by using “Verify with Concordium ID”. Customers complete age verification with embedded privacy. Through this integration, the merchant has eliminated storage infrastructure costs, reduced auditability overheads while ensuring better user experience and conversions.
Content & Creator Platforms
Various age-restricted content platforms have integrated “Verify with Concordium ID.” Newly introduced regulations are forcing platforms to age-verify its users as an access requirement . “Verify with Concordium ID” is a compliance-ready solution that helps those consumers access content in a privacy-preserving way. Seeing the initial success, new merchants like MintStars, Snappy and many more are in the process of integrating this solution as they scale globally.
Meeting Evolving Regulations
New age-assurance rules in Europe, the UK, and the United States require platforms to verify user eligibility without necessarily storing identity documents. The UK's Online Safety Act, EU Digital Services Act, Australia’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 and similar frameworks create strict obligations around age verification.
“Verify with Concordium ID” addresses these requirements directly. It provides for auditability through cryptographic verification while avoiding data warehousing that creates vulnerabilities.
Additionally, the separation between identity verification and payment processing is disappearing. For organizations navigating tightening regulations, the technology offers a clear path: meet regulatory requirements without sacrificing user privacy or taking on data liability for compliance.
Want to integrate? Explore our documentation.
Want to “Verify with Concordium ID?” Download the app on iOS or Android.