The Future Cryptography Conference returned to Tallinn on 20 May 2026, this year focusing on Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP): how it is reshaping digital identity, and what the future holds.
Digital identity is now embedded in nearly everything: how we move money, access services, prove who we are. For years the main worry was whether credentials could be stolen. Less discussed is what identity providers learn simply by doing their job. Every time you present a credential, the data you share to prove one thing ends up proving many others.
Zero Knowledge Proofs reframe what verification can look like. Prove you're old enough without revealing your birthdate. Solvent without sharing your transactions. The talks in Tallinn traced how far into real infrastructure that idea has now reached, from EU identity wallets and e-governance to Web3 and AI.
In this talk, Martin Suomalainen, Security Engineer at Cybernetica, makes a case for zero-knowledge proofs through a very concrete example: how can governments verify driving data for tax or subsidy purposes while keeping your location private? Taking Estonia's EV subsidy scheme as his example, he shows how cryptographic proofs can confirm a driver has met required mileage thresholds without exposing any underlying location data.
Watch all the presentations from the Future Cryptography Conference 2026.
