Midnight Network Uses Zero-Knowledge Proofs to Verify Age Without Exposing Personal Data

Midnight Network has introduced a privacy-preserving approach to on-chain age verification that avoids exposing sensitive user data on public ledgers. Using its domain-specific language called Compact, developers can write zero-knowledge predicates that confirm a user meets an age threshold without revealing their actual birthdate. The user's birth year is entered locally in their wallet, where a cryptographic proof is generated and only the boolean verification result is posted to the blockchain. Validators confirm the mathematical validity of the proof rather than accessing any raw personal information. This architecture aims to replace traditional KYC data exposure with verifiable proofs, with potential applications in DeFi credit scoring and other privacy-sensitive decentralized services.