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Do You Need a Zero Knowledge Proof? (Ernstberger, Chaliasos, Zhou, Jovanovic, Gervais 2024)

Last modified: 2026-10-27

URL: https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/050

Summary

Critically examines where zero-knowledge proofs are actually needed versus where simpler primitives (signatures, commitments, trusted hardware, MPC) suffice, and maps common ZKP applications to their underlying requirements. Provides a decision guide and points out misuse of the term. A useful sanity check for e-ID design: privacy goals like selective disclosure or unlinkability can sometimes be met without general-purpose ZKPs.

Related resources

• SoK: What Don't We Know? Understanding Security Vulnerabilities in SNARKs (Chaliasos, Ernstberger, Theodore, Wong, Jahanara, Livshits 2024) (paper, 2024)