[Digital Today reporter Chi-gyu Hwang (황치규)] StarkWare has unveiled a 'Private KYC' demo on StarkNet that enables identity verification without revealing full personal information.

A recent Cointelegraph report said users can prove only facts such as being at least 18, holding valid qualifications or meeting terms of use without disclosing passport details or an address.

The system uses STRK20 privacy features and zero-knowledge STARK proofs. Institutions verify only the necessary facts and do not collect full identity information.

Users scan their passport with a smartphone, then verify the document's authenticity and the issuing authority's signature using the camera and NFC chip. They then encrypt and store identity information in a StarkNet wallet, register attributes on a public on-chain registry and submit zero-knowledge proofs for selective verification. Verifiers check eligibility through the public registry but cannot see the actual identity information.

StarkWare said, "Even when verification needs only a single fact, the current structure requires the entire document," and added, "Once an original-data database exists, it creates a management burden and risk."

StarkWare aims to reduce such problems through a self-custody model in which users store their identity information themselves.