Google Cloud teams up with Self to boost privacy-focused identity technology development
In a groundbreaking development, Self and Google Cloud have joined forces to integrate Self's zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) technology into Google Cloud's Web3 and AI tools. This collaboration aims to advance privacy, security, and AI adoption in the Web3 developer ecosystem.
Privacy-First Identity Verification
At the heart of this partnership lies Self's privacy-first identity verification platform. This platform enables secure, trustless onboarding of Web3 users, supporting Sybil resistance, a crucial feature that prevents fake identities or nodes from dominating a network.
Enhancing Developer Tools
The partnership also explores integrating Self Protocol with AI search tools on the Web3 Portal. This integration is designed to enhance developer access and capabilities, lowering barriers for developers in the Web3 space.
Testnet Faucet Integration
Google Cloud’s Testnet Faucet will use Self’s proof-of-humanity zero-knowledge proofs to enable Sybil resistance, ensuring fair identity verification without exposing user data.
Mainnet Faucet with Sanctions Screening
A pioneering Mainnet Faucet is in development, which will use exclusion proofs from Self's integration with the OFAC sanctions list (administered by the US Department of the Treasury) to conduct sanctions screening. This will allow compliance without compromising privacy.
Support for Onchain and Offchain Attestations
Self supports attestations offchain and onchain (the latter on the Celo blockchain). Google Cloud has been a long-term Celo partner since 2018, running a validator and supporting sustainability-focused startups, which aligns with this integration.
Richard Widmann, Head of Strategy for Web3 at Google Cloud, emphasized that this partnership is designed to demonstrate the value of combining ZKP-enabled identity with Web3 developer tools. Marek Olszewski, Co-Founder of Self, highlighted Google’s choice of Self’s SDK as a secure and privacy-first identity solution to drive AI and Web3 innovation for real users.
Global Reach and Impact
The Self protocol reaches more than 8 million users and supports over a billion biometric passport holders across 129 nations. In the European Union alone, Self accommodates tens of millions of biometric ID holders in 27 countries, as well as regions including Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam, Ghana, and Saudi Arabia.
This partnership reflects a broader industry movement toward secure, decentralized identity systems that can scale globally. By integrating Self's ZKP technology, Google Cloud aims to make private, verifiable digital identity a standard feature of Web3 ecosystems.
Furthermore, Google's implementation of Self's SDK for identity solutions validates Self's role in shaping the future of privacy-conscious Web3 and AI development. The partnership between Self and Google Cloud aims to redefine how digital identity and compliance can function within the decentralized internet.
Most recently, Google Wallet in the UK has begun using Self for age verification, furthering the collaboration between these two tech giants. This partnership is poised to drive the adoption of privacy-preserving AI infrastructure and Web3 tools among verified human users.
The integration of Self's zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) technology into Google Cloud's Web3 and AI tools aims to foster the development of privacy and security in the Web3 developer ecosystem. The partnership also supports Self Protocol with AI search tools on the Web3 Portal, aiming to enhance developer access and capabilities. Google Cloud’s Testnet Faucet, with the help of Self’s proof-of-humanity zero-knowledge proofs, ensures fair identity verification without exposing user data. As GoogleWallet in the UK starts using Self for age verification, the collaboration between these two tech giants redefines how digital identity and compliance can function within the decentralized internet, furthering the adoption of privacy-preserving AI infrastructure and Web3 tools among verified human users.This collaboration also highlights the role of fintech, data-and-cloud-computing, and artificial-intelligence in shaping the future of private, verifiable digital identity in the industry.
