The Buenos Aires Government Incorporates Zero-Knowledge Proofs into its App for City Services
The city of Buenos Aires has taken a significant step towards enhancing privacy and security for its residents by introducing zero-knowledge proofs into its digital identity service. This innovative technology, which allows users to prove the validity of certain information without disclosing sensitive data, has been integrated into the miBA app, offering 3.6 million porteños greater control over their personal information.
Zero-knowledge proofs have long been used in cryptography and are now being applied in various jurisdictions, including Uruguay. In Buenos Aires, the QuarkID service is leveraging this technology to enable residents to authenticate documents without revealing unnecessary details. For example, users can verify their age for purchasing alcohol without disclosing their full birthdate or address.
Diego Fernandez, Buenos Aires’ secretary of innovation and digital transformation, emphasized the importance of creating a self-sovereign identity system that prioritizes citizen privacy and security. QuarkID utilizes the Ethereum layer-2 network ZKsync Era as a security anchor to ensure the authenticity of data without the risk of manipulation.
More than 60 types of documents, such as birth certificates, tax certificates, and vaccination records, can be securely uploaded to the miBA app. This not only reduces the risk of identity theft but also minimizes the government’s expenses compared to traditional verification methods.
Furthermore, the city of Buenos Aires is collaborating with other regions in Argentina to pilot this technology on a larger scale. Municipalities like Jujuy, Tucumán, and Luján de Cuyo are exploring the implementation of zero-knowledge proofs to enhance data security and privacy for their residents.
With an IP-sharing agreement in place, the technology developed in Buenos Aires can be shared with the national government, paving the way for potential nationwide adoption. Similar experiments are also underway in other Latin American countries, demonstrating the growing interest in leveraging zero-knowledge proofs for secure data authentication.