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As governments and platforms ramp up age and identity checks, privacy advocates are warning that routine verification could normalize broad data collection and tracking. A recent Cryptography Engineering primer argues that anonymous credentials—paired with selective disclosure and zero-knowledge proofs—can satisfy requirements like “over X” or “is a valid user” without exposing names, birthdates, or other attributes. The approach centers on issuers provisioning devices with cryptographic tokens that can answer challenges while limiting credential sharing and minimizing leakage. Discussion highlights remaining hurdles: trustworthy device control, enrollment and revocation, interoperability across mobile operating systems, and alignment with evolving legal and regulatory frameworks.
A cryptographer warns that expanding legal age- and ID-verification requirements are pushing the web toward pervasive identity collection, threatening user privacy and enabling detailed tracking. The piece argues for anonymous credentials — cryptographic systems that let users prove attributes (e.g., being over 18) without revealing their full identity — as a privacy-preserving alternative. It cites growing laws in U.S. states and other countries, plus major platforms (Facebook, X, Discord, Wikipedia) facing compliance pressures, as drivers of this shift. The author traces the idea to David Chaum and frames anonymous authentication as a crucial technology to prevent a privacy dystopia while still meeting age-verification mandates.
A cryptographer argues that mandatory age and identity checks driven by new laws and AI risks are pushing the web toward a privacy dystopia, and advocates anonymous credentials as a solution. The post outlines how sites increasingly demand verified identities—via government IDs or persistent signals—fueling surveillance and monetization by advertisers and platforms. It highlights legal pressure (U.S. state laws, the U.K. Online Safety Bill) and platform adoption on services like Facebook, X, BlueSky and Discord as catalysts. The author revisits David Chaum’s work and modern anonymous credential schemes that let users prove attributes (e.g., age) without revealing full identity, enabling compliance while preserving privacy and limiting data retention.
A Cryptography Engineering primer on anonymous credentials explains how issuers can provision devices with cryptographic tokens that prove attributes (like age or identity) without revealing other personal data. The piece outlines selective disclosure and zero-knowledge techniques so a phone or dedicated device can answer challenges e.g., “are you at least X years old,” while preventing users from sharing credentials or leaking extra info. The article matters because lawmakers and platforms increasingly require age and identity checks, creating privacy risks; anonymous credentials offer a technical path to meet regulatory demands while limiting data exposure. Practical concerns include device control, token provisioning, and interoperability with mobile OSes and legal frameworks.
&#32; submitted by &#32; <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/self"> /u/self </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2026/03/02/anonymous-credentials-an-illustrated-primer/">[link]</a></span> &#32; <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1rjm79m/anonymous_credentials_how_do_we_live_in_a_world/">[comments]</a></span>