Nouns DAO x Sismo ⌐◨-◨ : The Nouns Governor ZK Badge

tl;dr

Import your reputation within Nouns DAO from your public wallet to an announymous wallet using ZK badges

Description:

Web3 users are starting to use their wallets as an account log-in to applications. Applications fetch on-chain data related to the user wallets like ENS names and profile pictures. How can we enable Nouns DAO contributors to leverage their reputation in such apps?

Badges and ZK Badges

Badges are on-chain representations of previous activities and contributions - non-transferable and sometimes referred to as soulbound. ZK Badges or ZK attestations are a new primitive that enables users to import their reputation or ‘history’ to new wallets. Privacy preserving badges that do not create any link between the source account used to prove eligibility and the destination account that receives the badge - the generation process of such badges relies on zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) and ensures user and data privacy.

Very simply, ZK badges enable the transfer and use of personal status and reputation in a privacy preserving way. Inside the Nouns ecosystem, we can generate a wide range of badges. The aim of this proposal is to deploy a first one. A Nouns Governor ZK Badge. Each eligible address, can mint one - and only one - Nouns Governor ZK Badge on a newly created wallet that can later be used to connect to any web3 application to prove Nouns DAO contributions without revealing the origin address.

Nouns Governor ZK Badge:

  1. Level 1 (Begginer): Voted 5 times in the Nouns DAO
  2. Level 2 (Learned): Voted 10 times in the Nouns DAO
  3. Level 3 (Grandmaster): Voted 50 times in the Nouns DAO

Zero Knowledge Proofs and ZK Minting

The minting process guarantees no one can trace back to the source account. Similar to the way tornado cash enables users to transfer assets privately, ZK badges enable users to transfer their data privately. The ZK Badge minting process involves 2 accounts:

  1. The source account used to prove the eligibility for the Badge (e.g an Address used to vote in Nouns DAO)
  2. The destination account that will receive the ZK Badge
  3. There will be no link between the source and the destination account

The use of ZK Badges opens up new possibilities for applications, such as sybil-resistant systems, private voting, private airdrops, and private group chats. They open up a new design space while also being a valuable historical piece of the Nouns’ narrative.

Team: @waterdrops /Artwork by @jackbutcher

Timeline: Deployment of the Nouns Governor ZK Badge ~ 1 week

Long-term Pledges:

  1. Continuously research use-cases
  2. Explore different types of attestations: “Voted YES on a specific proposal”, “Contributed to Github” or “Contributed to Nouncil”

External Links:

I appreciate all feedback and questions. Cross-posting for visibility and more discussion. This prop was submitted to PropHouse under Nouns DAO x Sismo ⌐◨-◨

3 Likes

This is a new concept for me. What happens if you sell your Noun? Does the badge remain since it’s soulbound or does it disappear somehow because it can no longer verify ownership? Seems like a very interesting addition and the use cases match up with some of what Verbs is looking to do. Might be worth chiming in on their brainstorm post. Looking forward to hearing more from you!

2 Likes

Thank you for your post and for bringing up the interesting topic. Even if you are no longer eligible for a Badge, you will still hold it. This is because badges are soulbound, meaning they are tied to the individual who earned them and cannot be transferred or removed.

However, it is worth noting that some applications may require you to renew your Badge in order to continue using them. If you are no longer eligible for the Badge, you will be unable to renew it and may therefore lose access to those applications.

It’s also important to understand that badges are timestamped attestations. This means that they are essentially a record of when you earned the Badge and what you were able to do at that time. Depending on the specific Badge and on the use cases of the applications that require it, users may be demanded to renew their badges in order to continue using them.

In short, while you will still hold your Badge even if you are no longer eligible for it, you may lose access to certain applications if you are unable to renew it.

1 Like

Very cool. Sounds like a POAP plus endless utility options. I like the concept! I didn’t vote in Nouncil yet, but it sounds like you get one of mine. Thanks for the response!

2 Likes