The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest technical professional organization, has awarded a decade-old research paper with the “Test of Time” award at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy. The paper, titled “Zerocash: Decentralized Anonymous Payments from Bitcoin,” is considered a “blueprint” for the practical use of zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-proofs) and has had a lasting impact on computer security and privacy. The paper, which has received 2,400 academic citations, paved the way for the proliferation of projects using ZK-proofs in the crypto industry. It introduced the first practical use of ZK-proofs in cryptocurrency for enhancing privacy. The award recognizes the authors of the paper, including Alessandro Chiesa, Christina Garman, Matthew Green, Ian Miers, Eran Tromer, Madars Virza, and Eli Ben-Sasson, who founded blockchain scaling firm StarkWare. Ben-Sasson stated that the paper was a turning point for ZK-proofs in blockchain research and sparked a fascination with how this technology can benefit the entire crypto industry. ZK-proofs, specifically Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Arguments of Knowledge (zk-SNARKS), are commonly used in Ethereum layer-2 solutions to prove the validity of on-chain data without revealing specific details. They contribute to scalability and enable techniques like rollups and trustless validation of large amounts of off-chain data. Leading layer-2 networks using ZK-proofs include StarkNet, Linea, zkSync Era, Scroll, and Polygon. ZK-proofs also offer privacy-preserving solutions while ensuring compliance with regulations. StarkWare plans to add ZK capabilities to their prover Stwo to provide a more scalable version of the Zerocash construction on StarkNet and Ethereum. ZK-proofs have gained significant attention in the industry, with Ernst & Young launching an Ethereum-based solution using ZK-proofs to facilitate complex contracts for their private business clients. The recognition of the “genesis paper” by the IEEE highlights its significant contribution to the field of computer security and privacy.
IEEE 'Test of Time' award granted to white paper that originated crypto ZK-proofs