Eric Nakagawa I Show Me the Proof! ZK Identity with Self Protocol I Pragma Taipei 2025

Thu, Oct 2, 2025, 12:00 AM

Eric Nakagawa, CEO and co-founder of Self Protocol, explains how zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) can revolutionize digital identity verification without compromising privacy. Learn how Self Protocol uses biometric passport NFC chips to create provable identities that verify age, nationality, and OFAC compliance without exposing personal data. Discover practical applications for Web3 projects including airdrops, DeFi compliance, and bot prevention, with live SDK integrations available now. This talk demonstrates how ZK identity solutions can solve real-world problems while maintaining user privacy and security. 00:00 - Introduction: The Problem with Traditional Identity Verification 01:22 - Current Identity Risks: Data Exposure & Centralization 02:56 - Sybil Attacks: The Fake Account Epidemic 04:00 - AI Bots: The Growing Threat to Web3 Authenticity 05:08 - ZK Proofs Explained Through "Where's Waldo" Analogy 06:23 - Introducing Self Protocol: Privacy-Preserving Passport Verification 07:28 - How Biometric Passport Chips Enable Trustless Verification 08:40 - Cryptographic Proofs of Government-Issued Documents 09:48 - Selective Disclosure: Age, Nationality & OFAC Checks 11:31 - Technical Walkthrough: QR Code Verification Flow 12:39 - Linking Provable Facts to Wallets Without Correlation 13:51 - Live Demo: SDK Availability for Hackathon Builders 14:59 - On-Chain vs Off-Chain Proof Implementation Options 15:30 - Use Cases: Airdrops, Social Media, and DeFi Compliance 16:29 - Case Study: ETH Denver Birthday Proof Contest 17:27 - Future Roadmap: Expanding Country Support & Speed 18:37 - ETH Global Hackathon: $10k in Prize Opportunities 19:39 - Closing: Bringing ZK Identity to the Entire Internet _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇹🇼 *Pragma Taipei* Pragma Taipei 2025 was held on April 3rd at POPOP in Taipei, Taiwan and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Watch the full Pragma Taipei YouTube Playlist here: ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Eric Nakagawa X: https://x.com/ericnakagawa ✅ Follow Self Protocol X: https://x.com/selfprotocol ✅ Follow Kartik Talwar X: https://x.com/TheRealKartik ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship? 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _