Online identity verification is broken.
The existing systems collect personal data, store it in a central server somewhere, and hope that the data stays safe.
In Q1 2026 alone, 780 data compromises exposed the personal data of nearly 140 million people. Every one of those breaches involved a centralised store of sensitive personal data that became a reachable target. The more governments push platforms to verify age, nationality, and identity online, the more data gets collected, and the bigger the target gets.
Today, Aztec Labs acquires Obsidion, the team behind ZKPassport.
Aztec Labs CEO Joe Andrews (middle) with Obsidion Co-Founders Michael Elliot (left) and Theo Madzou (right)
A different model
ZKPassport lets users prove age, nationality, and proof of humanity without uploading any personal data to any central server. The proof is cryptographically verifiable, so no personal data ever leaves the user's device.
The protocol reads NFC chips built into passports and government IDs from over 130 countries, using the same technology as airport eGates to verify that the document is genuine. Users prove only what is required for the service they are accessing, while the underlying data stays on their device. Only a proof leaves the device, which can be verified without any user data being shown or sent externally.
Governments are mandating online age and identity verification. ZKPassport gives platforms a way to implement it without building data honeypots, compromising user privacy, or creating the infrastructure for a surveillance state.
ZKPassport is not theoretical. It is in production and has already been used at scale.
During the Aztec Network token sale, more than 17,000 participants used ZKPassport to verify their nationalities and compliance with sanctions. Hundreds of attendees across 11 Latin American countries used ZKPassport at Devconnect to claim discounted tickets.
What this means
Michael Elliot and Theo Madzou, co-founders of Obsidion, join Aztec Labs along with their team. They continue building ZKPassport while expanding into new product territory in consumer categories.
Aztec Labs is committed to keeping both the ZKPassport protocol and the ZKPassport iOS app open source. ZKPassport proofs can be generated in-browser and on mobile devices. Proofs can be verified server-side for non-blockchain use cases, or on the Aztec Network, Ethereum, and any EVM chain.
What changes is scope. Labs brings the resources, infrastructure, and product surface to take private identity verification from a respected open-source project to default infrastructure for how verification gets done online.
Online verification is increasingly mandatory. The conventional approach means collecting and storing the underlying personal data, which creates the honeypots that get exploited time and time again.
ZKPassport gives platforms the verification they need without the data liability that comes with it. Try it at zkpassport.id.