Mina Foundation: 2022 Zero Knowledge Survey Report
first level title
about this report
In the future, when we look back at the industrialization of ZKP*, it will be a key milestone in the large-scale transformation of private chains to public chains.
—Paul Brody, EY Blockchain Technology Leader
*Definition of ZKP: an abbreviation for zero knowledge proof (zero knowledge proof). — A cryptographic primitive that proves and verifies information without revealing the information behind it, only showing whether the statement is true.
If I predict five or ten years from now, I think the topic at that time will be inseparable from zero-knowledge proofs... and the technology and implementation of privacy functions, just like everyone talked about blockchain three or five years ago .
—Jill Gunter, Principal, Slow Ventures
The field of zero-knowledge proofs, which provides privacy-preserving features to many cryptocurrencies while maintaining a functioning decentralized system, I think will be an important backbone of much of the technology of the next century.
—Tim Sweeney, CEO, Epic Games
Perhaps the most powerful cryptographic technique of the past decade has been the universally succinct zero-knowledge proof.
— Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum
Scalability:
Scalability:With zero-knowledge proofs, many data points can be encapsulated in a lightweight proof, greatly improving efficiency and scalability. Since most blockchains require a lot of computing power, blockchain technology is still limited by such infrastructure, thus limiting its ability to scale. By leveraging zero-knowledge proofs, developers can design lightweight DApps that can run on more common hardware such as mobile devices, ushering in a more accessible and scalable Web3 future.
Privacy Security:Through zero-knowledge proofs, users can securely share the information necessary to gain access to a good or service without revealing personal details that could expose the user to hacking, stripping, or identity theft. The data privacy features of zero-knowledge proofs are particularly important to the safety and security of Web3, including DeFi, DAOs, and the Metaverse. For Web3 with privacy security and user sovereignty, zero-knowledge proof technology will become more important as the digital domain and the real world become more and more closely related.
Given the growing interest in zero-knowledge proofs and the desire to achieve a privacy-safe, user-sovereign Web3, the Mina Foundation conducted a survey in 2022 to better understand the development prospects of ZKPs.
Theoretical method
The content of this report is based on findings created, distributed and analyzed by members of the Mina Foundation. The Mina Foundation design asks several questions intended to capture the industry's overall perception of zero knowledge (ZK).
The survey was disseminated through social media and community channels operated by members of the Mina ecosystem and key opinion leaders in the industry, who have shown a strong interest in exploring ZK with their audience. A total of 1,978 people participated in the 3-week survey*.
*According to Mina Foundation, this sample collects the views and opinions of more than 1% of Web3 developers in this field. According to Electric Capital's 2021 report, there are 18,416 Web3 developers worldwide, and this report surveyed about 218 developers.
survey participants
Participants were asked three questions to assess sample diversity.
1. Who are the survey participants?
Survey participants were asked to select who best represented them from among crypto community members, crypto traders, and developers. The results showed that 67% of respondents identified as crypto traders, 22% identified as members of the crypto community, and 11% identified as developers.
2. What are the ages of the survey participants?
86% of respondents were between the ages of 19 and 45.
3. Are you familiar with zero-knowledge proof technology (ZKP)?
75.8% of respondents have at least said ZKP and know what it means, 24.2% don't know what it means. In addition, 80% of developers expressed familiarity with ZKP technology, showing the motivation of developers to use ZKP for development. Based on demographic data from survey participants, the results of the report reflect the overall ZKP sentiment from the perspective of general crypto traders and the crypto community in Q1 2022.
main findings
Zero-knowledge proofs are critical in the following areas:
Metaverse and Web3: 42.2% of respondents believe that zero-knowledge proofs are very important to the future of the Metaverse and Web3
Cryptocurrency Choices: 90.1% of Respondents Find Cryptocurrencies Utilizing Zero-Knowledge Proof Technology More Attractive
Financial industry: 40.6% of the respondents believe that the financial industry is the industry most in need of zero-knowledge proofs
Privacy protection: 30.7% of respondents believe that privacy security is the main advantage of zero-knowledge proofs
survey results
Private issues
Private issues
investigationinvestigationIt shows that 87% of the respondents are concerned about their privacy and security in the Metaverse. Interestingly, most other ZK-based solutions to date have focused on scalability rather than privacy.
Are cryptocurrencies using zero-knowledge proof technology more attractive?
ReportReportPrediction, "In the future, all cryptocurrencies will move toward zero-knowledge encryption."
If you know a DApp has ZKP features for privacy security or scalability, would you be more willing to use it?
When asked if they would be willing to use DApps with ZKP advantages, 52.1% of the respondents said they would prefer to use DApps with ZKP advantages. This may indicate that members of the crypto community believe in the privacy and security benefits of ZKPs, especially in light of the recent incidents of blockchain security breaches, with 1,000 in the first quarter of 2022 alone.$1.2 billion stolen。
How important are ZKPs in Web3 and the Metaverse?
ResearchResearchshows that 47% of Internet users do not trust their identities to be protected. If users cannot control their identities and data in the metaverse, user data will likely be used, which further reflects the concerns of more users when entering the metaverse.
"I think ZKPs are exactly what most blockchains are missing today."
- survey participants
Which industry would be best served by the integration of zero-knowledge proofs?
The final results show that survey participants believe that all industries, including finance (40.6%), healthcare (11.7%), social media (5.0%), e-commerce (2.9%), games & entertainment (2.3%) and collectibles (2.0%) would benefit from zero-knowledge proofs, but respondents were most interested in utilizing zero-knowledge proofs as a financial solution.
increaseincrease, zero-knowledge applications with the advantages of scalability and privacy security will have more opportunities to increase the wide adoption rate of the industry.
What type of data do you most want to keep private?
financial privacy
Participants said it was important to keep all personally identifiable information private, but placed greater emphasis on the security of financial data, which could include a user's Social Security number, cryptocurrency balance, net worth, credit score, and more.
For example, using ZKP to create a DApp, users only need to share the proof of a personal credit score of more than 700 to obtain a loan without disclosing other private information. The importance of keeping financial data private means that ZKPs will play a key role in the future of Web3 and DeFi.
To what extent are you concerned about the following entities accessing personal data?
Respondents are most concerned about government access to their personal data by any other entity. Interestingly, respondents expressed fairly high concerns across all entity types. Wallets are the least worrying when compared to banks, social media platforms, and third-party companies.
in conclusion
in conclusion
As can be seen from the sentiment captured in this report, a growing crypto community is looking to zero-knowledge to solve some of blockchain’s biggest pain points: privacy security and scalability issues.
These findings underscore the importance of privacy security in particular, because if we cannot achieve a secure and user-sovereign Web3, then user data is at great risk of being exploited. Joseph Johnson'sGlobal Online Privacy Report” noted that 53% of Internet users are more concerned about their online privacy than they were a year ago. As concerns mount and Web3 continues to evolve, more and more users will place greater emphasis on the privacy benefits of ZKPs.
From a development and transaction perspective, more and more developers and crypto users are also paying more attention to ZKP than ever. This focus may be more reflected in the launch of DApps that utilize ZKP technology to achieve privacy security, scalability, or both in the short term. In fact, Coinbase Chief Product Officer Surojit Chatterjee wrote in his article "2022 Forecast“Zero-knowledge proof technology will gain even more traction” this year in scaled and privacy-focused use cases.
The survey results of this report show that more than 54% of encrypted users believe that financial privacy and security are the most important, which shows thatDeFi is a looming ZKP use caseReportReportAs shown, this is due to the fact that the number of DeFi hackers is increasing. If DeFi is to deliver on its promise of giving users control over the value of their assets, DeFi needs to enable secure, privacy-preserving data sharing through ZKP. Once the realization of ZKP becomes the norm, we can also expect traditional finance to increasingly participate in DeFi, because private finance empowered by ZKP is more attractive than traditional corporate finance.
Overall, members of the crypto community expressed a view that zero-knowledge proofs will play an important role in securing the future of DeFi, Web3, and the Metaverse.We look forward to seeing that with the general advancement of zero-knowledge technology in the industry, a secure and privacy-guaranteed Web3 available to everyone will finally be realized.
secondary title
About Mina
Mina uses advanced cryptography and recursive zk-SNARK to replace a lot of intensive calculations, designing a complete blockchain of about 22kb, which is equivalent to the size of a few tweets. Mina is a layer network that implements easy programmatic zero-knowledge smart contracts (zkApps). With its unique privacy and security features and its ability to link with any website via zkApp, Mina is building the private gateway between the real world and cryptocurrencies, and the secure, democratic future we all deserve. Mina is managed by the Mina Foundation, a US-based non-profit organization.
Learn more about Mina and the latest developments in zero knowledge:
Official website: https://minaprotocol.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/minaprotocol
