Vitalik: A diversified zero-knowledge digital identification is the "best real-world solution" for protecting privacy.

Gate News bot report, on June 30, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin stated that despite the use of zk-SNARKs, a “one person, one certificate” digital identification system would still pose a threat to privacy.

World ID (formerly Worldcoin) provides ID based on biometric data and zk-SNARKs, which is becoming increasingly popular, with the number of users recently surpassing 10 million. In a recent blog post, Vitalik proposed that “diversified identification” is the “best real-world solution” for fully protecting privacy.

The identification document packaged with zk-SNARKs uses zero-knowledge proofs to confirm that the user possesses a valid identification document without disclosing its details, thus ensuring privacy. However, Vitalik believes that this digital identification still has vulnerabilities that could jeopardize privacy.

Vitalik stated that the current design limitations of the ZK-identity platform only allow users to create one ID for each application, which means that anonymity cannot be guaranteed. “In the real world, pseudonyms often require multiple accounts: one for ‘regular identification’ and others for pseudonymous identities.”

In addition, governments or companies may force users to reveal their identification on applications, rendering privacy protection ineffective. For example, employers may require applicants to disclose complete identification information from social media platforms.

Finally, in special circumstances, such as users with facial feature impairments, stateless individuals, etc., biometric identification documents may not be usable, and these edge cases are the most harmful in attempting to maintain a “one person, one property” system.