In our continued collaboration with Ontology, we shift our lens away from onchain gaming and toward one of the most technically promising—and frequently misunderstood—layers of Web3 tech: zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP).
Joining Humpty Calderon in this conversation are Francis Berwa from ZKPass, a ZK-TLS protocol enabling private data attestation, and Sam Noble, CPTO at Veera, a Web3 browser built around secure UX and abstracted complexity. Together, they offered not just a primer on ZKPs, but a vision for how these cryptographic tools could transform everything from browsers and messaging to onboarding, dating, and financial access.
ZK Proofs are powerful—but do people actually understand what they do? In this conversation with ZKPass and Veera, we unpack how ZK is being built into consumer apps, where it's already working, and how it might power the next generation of private internet experiences.
To kick off the conversation, Sam offered a concise mental model:
“ZK is a yes-or-no machine.”
You ask it a question—like “Is this user over 18?”—and get a binary answer, without ever seeing the underlying data. That’s the power of zero-knowledge: it validates facts without exposing them.
Francis added that ZKPass applies this in real-world scenarios like verifying creditworthiness or age for onboarding—useful in contexts like telecom, fintech, or DeFi.
“You can prove you’re eligible for something without showing your documents,” he explained.
But even with such intuitive utility, there’s a persistent friction point: people don’t know what ZK is—do they even care?
Too often, developers start by selling the tech—not the outcome.
That’s a mistake traditional tech companies learned to avoid long ago. When Apple markets privacy, they don’t lead with AES-256 or secure enclave specs—they lead with: “What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone.”
“We’re putting the tech first when really we should be leading with the problem ZK solves,” said Humpty, highlighting how crypto builders often market protocols like consumer apps—even when the actual users are engineers or institutions.
This misalignment in messaging is part of what makes ZK so intimidating or abstract to the average person. But the solution isn’t to dumb it down—it’s to connect ZK to the everyday value it unlocks.
Sam from Veera made this comparison clear:
“Most people don’t know what SSL is. They just know their browser is secure.”
In other words, if your product is working, users shouldn’t have to know—or care—that ZK is under the hood. They just need to feel that their information is safe, their privacy respected, and their experience seamless.
To get there, ZK builders will need to borrow from the best product marketers: start with the user's problem, not the protocol’s potential. Show the benefit—then let the cryptography do its job in the background.
While ZK remains invisible in the ideal user experience, it’s very present under the hood of some of the most forward-looking products in Web3 today. Three teams on the panel—Veera, ZKPass, and now Orange Protocol—are each putting ZK to work in different, powerful ways.
Veera is a Web3-native browser focused on simplifying the crypto experience and abstracting away complexity. With 5M+ users and growing, they’re designing a granular, privacy-friendly rewards engine that doesn’t rely on surveillance.
“A browser is a highly sensitive environment,” said Sam.
“With ZK, we can infer user actions without actually knowing what those actions are. It lets us reward without tracking.”
Rather than log behavior and analyze user data, Veera simply asks: Did this event happen? If yes, the user gets rewarded—without revealing their activity.
ZKPass uses a ZKTLS protocol to function as a private data oracle, allowing users to prove facts about themselves—like age, income, or citizenship—without exposing any raw data.
“Imagine qualifying for a loan without uploading your bank statements,” said Francis.
“That’s what ZKPass enables.”
Their approach is already resonating with enterprises across telecom and finance, especially in markets where onboarding still happens through insecure channels like WhatsApp. Because ZKPass integrates with HTTPS, it works in both Web2 and Web3 environments, making it a powerful bridge for adoption.
Orange Protocol is using ZK-TLS to power the next generation of composable, privacy-aware reputation. Instead of broadcasting personal credentials, users can selectively prove key facts—like GitHub activity, social media presence, or exchange balances—without revealing full profiles or accounts.
At the heart of this system is the Orange Humanity Score, which is enhanced by ZK-TLS-powered credentials. This allows apps, DAOs, and other users to verify proofs of participation, trust, or asset holdings—without violating privacy.
One particularly relevant application: proof of crypto exchange balances.
Echoing a point made by Sam, where he described how visa applicants in Dubai are required to share full access to their bank account transactions to prove income eligibility, with ZK-TLS, Orange Protocol enables a fundamentally different approach: users can prove that they meet income or balance thresholds without exposing their full financial history or giving institutions access to their accounts
This model represents a shift in verification:
From data access to data attestation
From identity exposure to contextual proof
From Web2 silos to Web3 composability
By layering ZK-TLS into their modular reputation framework, Orange Protocol is enabling a world where users bring trust with them—without bringing surveillance.
The panelists closed the session by imagining a world where ZK is embedded across daily tools and platforms. Here are just a few examples that came up:
LinkedIn → Verifiable work history without exposing full employment data
Tinder → Private matching based on verified attributes
Airbnb → Host and guest verification without exposing sensitive details
Calendars → Schedule availability without exposing events
Immigration / Residency → ZK-based income proofs for visa renewals
Gaming → Cross-game reputation without leaking behavioral data
The clearest takeaway from this conversation? ZKPs aren’t just for blockchains. They’re for browsers, banks, dating apps, and beyond.
“This tech is solving problems people don’t even realize they have yet,” Francis said. “But they will. Especially as AI and data surveillance grow.”
Like HTTPS, biometrics, or encryption, ZKPs may not remain a flashy talking point. And they shouldn’t. Their real power will come when they fade into the background—powering everyday experiences that are simpler, safer, and more respectful of the user.
As Sam put it:
“You should be doing the most you can to protect your users. ZK helps you do that without getting in the way.”
Make sure to give Ontology a follow on X where we will continue this series of conversations around privacy, identity, and the future of trust.
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