Opacity Network explained: MPC and zkTLS proofs of private Web2 data
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Opacity lets users prove facts about Web2 data without exposing it, using randomly selected MPC notaries, garbled circuits, oblivious transfer and zkTLS. Nodes run in TEEs and restake on EigenCloud for slashing, with all attempts logged onchain.
Key claims
Notaries are randomly sampled from an MPC pool per task to limit collusion
Nodes run in TEEs such as Intel SGX
Slashing via EigenCloud restaking
. @OpacityNetwork introduces a sophisticated framework designed to bridge the gap between private Web2 data and the world of verifiable digital claims.
At its heart, the system uses a powerful combination of Multi-Party Computation (MPC) and ZK-enhanced Transport Layer Security (zkTLS) to allow users to prove specific facts about their online information without ever exposing the sensitive data itself.
This enables use cases like proving creditworthiness, account ownership, social media status, and much more while upholding stringent privacy standards.
The operational flow is a carefully orchestrated process involving multiple participants. It begins with a user, acting as a prover, who wishes to generate a cryptographic proof about their data.
To achieve this, the network leverages a dynamic group of notaries. These are not fixed entities but are randomly selected nodes from a larger MPC pool for each verification task. This random sampling is a critical security feature that drastically reduces the possibility of collusion.
The chosen nodes then engage in a joint computation with the user, where multiple identical proofs from independent nodes are required to securely confirm the claim. This privacy-preserving computation is powered by a suite of advanced cryptographic schemes.
The core technology includes:
- Garbled Circuits: A specialized MPC protocol that converts the computational logic into an encrypted circuit. This allows the participating nodes to collectively evaluate a function on their private inputs without any single node learning the other's data.
- Oblivious Transfer (OT): A cryptographic sub-protocol that ensures data can be transferred selectively and securely. It allows a receiver to choose and obtain a piece of information from a sender without the sender ever knowing which specific piece was chosen.
To guarantee the integrity of the network and the honesty of its participants, Opacity employs a robust, two-pronged security model:
- First, nodes must run their computations within a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), such as an Intel SGX enclave. This hardware-based security feature creates an isolated environment that protects the code and data from being accessed or tampered with, even by the node's owner.
- Second, a powerful economic incentive layer is implemented via slashing on @eigencloud, where all participating nodes are required to restake a certain amount of assets. If a node acts maliciously or attempts to falsify results, its stake is automatically "slashed" or forfeited, making dishonest behaviour economically irrational.
Finally, the entire system is built for transparency. The outcome of every joint computation is a verifiable result that can be checked externally. All user attempts to generate proofs, whether they succeed or fail, are recorded publicly and immutably on-chain, creating a transparent and auditable history of the network's operations.
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