a proof construction where one can prove possession of certain information, e.g. a secret key, without revealing that information

"the first zero-knowledge proof for a concrete problem, that of deciding quadratic nonresidues mod m"

Finding a solution to the 3-coloring problem

Proving ownership of a private key

"I am 18+, so I can enter this bar"

"I paid my taxes"

Anonymous voting

Know Your Customer (KYC)

1985

The Knowledge Complexity of Interactive Proof-Systems

1988

Non-Interactive Zero-Knowledge and Its Applications

a proof construction where one can prove possession of certain information, e.g. a secret key, without revealing that information, and without any interaction between the prover and verifier.

Zero

Knowledge

Succint

Non-interactive

Argument of

Knowledge

In scientific terms

The 3-color problem is an NP-complete problem

In human terms

The 3-color problem is fuckin' hard

(A bit of computational complexity

mumbo jumbo incoming)

A problem p in NP is NP-complete if every other problem in NP can be transformed (or reduced) into p in polynomial time

Knowledge takes space:

"Alice transfered 1 ETH to Bob. Here's the full transaction, check for yourself:

0x123123412341283746138927618937412387461283746129837619873461289736189274612987346128937619823461289347618734613419238761829376183461283476

Proof of knowledge takes less space*

"Alice transfered 1 ETH to Bob. Here's a small proof of that:"

0x123123412341283746138927618937

*Don't ask me how. this is all just magic to me