Buenos Aires launched QuarkID, a digital ID service using ZK credentials

Buenos Aires has launched a digital ID service called QuarkID that uses zero-knowledge authentication. The service enables privacy by verifying documents without revealing personal information. QuarkID will expand nationally, with pilots underway in other regions of Argentina.

The city of Buenos Aires has launched a new digital identity service called QuarkID, which aims to enhance residents' privacy through advanced cryptographic technology known as zero-knowledge authentication.

Integrated into the MiBA app, a platform that has facilitated access to municipal services for the past seven years, QuarkID aims to give approximately 3.6 million Portuguese citizens more control over their personal information.

Zero-Knowledge Verifications allow users to verify the authenticity of documents without revealing unnecessary personal information. For example, residents can verify their age when purchasing alcohol without having to provide their full date of birth or address.

This approach is designed to empower citizens by providing a self-sovereign identity system that prioritizes privacy and security. “From the very beginning, the decision was to create a self-sovereign identity system so that citizens can have privacy and security in the documents they own,” said Diego Fernandez, Buenos Aires Secretary of Innovation and Digital Transformation.

While zero-knowledge proofs can work independently of blockchain technology, QuarkID uses Ethereum's layer-2 network ZKsync Era, which serves as a “security anchor.” This ensures that information can be verified in a specific form at a specific time, thereby reducing identity theft and fraud.

Users can upload more than 60 documents, including birth certificates and vaccination records, with more documents expected to be added in the coming months. Importantly, no third party, including the municipality, control over these documents, the risk of data breach is greatly reduced.

The initiative promises to reduce costs for the government compared to traditional document management methods, and the pilot program is set to expand beyond Buenos Aires to smaller cities such as Jujuy and Tucuman, as well as Lujan de Cuyo.

Fernandez emphasized the potential for the technology developed in Buenos Aires to be applied throughout Argentina and even in other Latin American countries such as Uruguay.