As
DePINs
revolutionize
the
way
certain
types
of
infrastructure
are
delivered,
they
face
a
significant
hurdle
in
ensuring
the
integrity
and
reliability
of
their
operations.
The
good
news
is
that
zero
knowledge
proofs
(ZKPs)
are
emerging
as
a
powerful
solution.
The
Verification
Challenge
DePINs
rely
on
numerous
types
of
verification
for
their
day-to-day
functions.
From
confirming
performance
capacity
and
location
to
validating
actual
services
provided
and
computational
accuracy,
reliable
verification
is
essential
for
DePINs
to
operate
and
be
trusted.
In
recognition
of
this,
we
at
the
peer-to-peer
ZKP
network
NovaNet
published
The
DePIN
Verification
Handbook
to
cover
the
wide
range
of
verification
requirements.
Wyatt
Benno
and
Houman
Shadab
are
cofounders
of
the
zero
knowledge
proof
network
NovaNet.
This
op-ed
is
part
of
CoinDesk’s
new
DePIN
Vertical,
covering
the
emerging
industry
of
decentralized
physical
infrastructure.
The
consequences
of
inadequate
verification
can
be
severe.
Without
robust
checks
in
place,
nodes
or
service
providers
may
receive
payouts
on
false
pretenses.
Networks
can
become
vulnerable
to
gaming,
and
users
risk
adopting
poorly
performing
or
unstable
platforms.
Earlier
this
year,
fraudsters
sent
fake
uptime
data
to
IO.net
to
earn
rewards.
They
did
this
by
falsifying
the
existence
of
1.8
million
GPUs.
Unverified
GPUs
on
IO.net
currently
outnumber
verified
GPUs
by
more
than
3
to
1,
likely
reflecting
an
industry-wide
challenge.
Current
Verification
Methods
Unfortunately,
existing
DePIN
verification
methods
are
often
found
lacking.
Many
verification
methods
lack
sufficient
accuracy,
as
evidenced
by
the
ongoing
threat
of
spoofing
GPUs,
locations,
and
other
data.
Likewise,
policing
bad
actors
with
community-driven
blacklists
and
terms
of
usage
enforcement
has
its
limitations.
Existing
verification
methods
are
also
not
completely
trustless,
which
undermines
the
ethos
of
DePINs
Some
methods
prove
too
costly.
For
example,
DePINs
often
use
and
must
compensate
validators
that
have
no
other
purpose
than
to
repeat
or
double-check
the
work
already
performed
by
service
nodes.
Validators
may
also
cause
DePINs
to
be
sluggish
by
requiring
additional
operations
to
take
place.
Privacy
preservation
is
another
critical
concern
when
it
comes
to
DePIN
verification.
Any
time
data
is
put
on
blockchain
or
sent
to
a
validator
for
verification,
that
data
is
no
longer
private.
Existing
verification
methods
are
also
not
completely
trustless,
which
undermines
the
decentralized
ethos
of
DePINs.
Enter
Zero
Knowledge
Proofs
This
is
where
zero-knowledge
proofs
come
to
the
rescue.
Next
generation
ZKPs
present
not
just
an
improvement,
but
often
the
only
viable
way
to
provide
robust
verification
for
DePINs
while
maintaining
speed,
efficiency,
decentralization,
and
privacy.
ZKPs
enable
a
prover
to
demonstrate
the
truth
of
a
statement
to
a
verifier
with
near-absolute
certainty
without
revealing
any
additional
information
beyond
the
validity
of
the
statement
itself.
Whereas
a
traditional
verification
method
may
need
access
to
confidential
data
to
verify
whether
a
DePIN
node
meets
network
requirements,
ZKPs
use
cryptographic
methods
that
verify
whether
specific
conditions
have
been
met
without
revealing
how
the
condition
was
satisfied.
For
DePINs,
this
means
that
network
participants
can
prove
they’re
adhering
to
the
rules
and
providing
the
services
they
claim
without
compromising
sensitive
data.
Proofs
Must
be
Generated
on
Devices
To
truly
preserve
privacy,
ZKPs
must
be
generated
locally
on
DePIN
devices
or
the
networks
that
provide
services.
Sending
data
to
validator
nodes
or
a
separate
prover
system
robs
ZKPs
of
their
“zero
knowledge”
property.
Proofs
should
ideally
be
generated
on
sensors,
location
trackers,
compute
nodes,
and
other
devices.
Local
proving
ensures
that
proof
data
remains
in
the
hands
of
the
network
participants
and
doesn’t
centralize
operations
–
aligning
with
networks’
core
principles.
Proof
verification
can
take
place
locally,
on
cloud
networks,
or
on
chain,
depending
on
how
the
network
is
structured.
ZKPs
must
be
very
memory
efficient
to
be
generated
locally
for
privacy.
Fortunately,
recent
innovations
in
ZKP
design
enable
highly
efficient
proving.
Folding
schemes,
for
example,
allow
proof
generation
to
be
broken
into
small
steps
suitable
for
local
proving.
However,
memory-efficient
ZKPs
have
been
overlooked
by
the
industry
due
to
its
focus
on
scaling
Ethereum.
At
NovaNet,
by
contrast,
memory
efficiency
is
core
to
our
technology
enabling
proofs
to
be
generated
in
constrained
environments
such
as
browsers
and
consumer
devices.
As
a
result,
the
prover
network
operates
peer-to-peer
without
adding
centralization
to
DePINs.
The
Path
Forward
As
DePINs
continue
to
grow
and
evolve,
the
adoption
of
zero
knowledge
proofs
for
verification
will
likely
become
not
just
an
advantage,
but
a
necessity.
Networks
that
embrace
this
technology
will
be
better
positioned
to
offer
reliable,
efficient,
and
truly
decentralized
services
while
protecting
the
privacy
of
their
users
and
providers.
At
NovaNet,
we
are
excited
to
help
make
the
goals
of
DePINs
a
reality.
Note:
The
views
expressed
in
this
column
are
those
of
the
author
and
do
not
necessarily
reflect
those
of
CoinDesk,
Inc.
or
its
owners
and
affiliates.