Vitalik Buterin Proposes Zero-Knowledge Likes

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has endorsed developer X Wang Haofei’s idea of confidential likes and suggested implementing the initiative on the social network Farcaster. 

He expanded on this proposal by suggesting the use of zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs to combat “preference falsification.” 

“Preference falsification is a big problem in society, and we need to see people’s honest opinions. It would be great if Farcaster followed this example and implemented ZK-likes,” Buterin wrote. 

Zero-knowledge is a cryptographic method that allows one party to prove to another that a statement is true without revealing confidential information. In the context of likes, it allows for reacting to a post without compromising privacy.

The Ethereum co-founder suggested “borrowing” ZK technology from Zupoll, a tool used in the “pop-up city” project Zuzalu. The solution is aimed at decentralization and is used for anonymous voting.

Discussions about ZK-likes began after rumors that X might start hiding user likes. Haofei confirmed this information.

Yeah, we are making likes private.

Public likes are incentivizing the wrong behavior. For example, many people feel discouraged from liking content that might be “edgy” in fear of retaliation from trolls, or to protect their public image.

Soon you’ll be able to like without… https://t.co/vPGllc4pB0

— Haofei (@wanghaofei) May 22, 2024

“Public likes are incentivizing the wrong behavior. For example, many people feel discouraged from liking ‘edgy’ content in fear of retaliation from trolls or to protect their public image,” the developer explained. 

Haofei suggested that soon users will be able to react to posts “without worrying about who might see it.” He also reminded users about the connection between likes and the social network’s content algorithms. 

The initiative received mixed reactions from the community. Some suggested developing the idea beyond likes. Others pointed out that user reactions help assess the quality of a post before reading it. 

The number of likes visible is a great indicator on whether something is worth reading or watching.

I thought X was trying to encourage more engagement. You are taking away the critical signals of engagement and high quality content.

— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) May 22, 2024

Previously, Buterin called for the creation of a unified interoperability solution for L2 networks. 

Earlier, the Ethereum co-founder identified MEV, liquid staking, and the cost of running a full node as the three main threats to blockchain decentralization.