Please describe your proposed solution.

The research on zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) has the potential to have a significant impact on the Cardano platform. This project will focus on ZKP-based research and solutions for bridging the gap between privacy and investigation in the context of cybercrime. This is a critical issue, as cybercrime is a growing threat to businesses and individuals.

The project will work with EU regulators, industry experts, and university researchers to develop a set of tools and resources that will help law enforcement and businesses to investigate and prosecute cybercrime while also protecting the privacy of ordinary citizens.

The project will also explore the potential of ZKPs to be implemented within the DeFi ecosystem. DeFi is a rapidly growing sector of the cryptocurrency industry, and ZKPs could be used to improve the security and privacy of DeFi applications.

The project has the potential to make a significant contribution to the Cardano platform and the DeFi ecosystem. It will help to make Cardano a more secure and privacy-preserving platform, establish a direct contact with law enforcement agencies and it will also help to grow the DeFi ecosystem.

Here are some of the specific benefits of the project:

• Protect privacy of ordinary citizens while also allowing law enforcement to investigate and prosecute cybercrime

• Improve security and scalability of the Cardano network

• Contributing to growing the DeFi ecosystem more safely and securely

The graphic below shows the positioning of this project in the overall DLT360 approach (The DLT360 Business Ladder: From Aggregating News, over Knowledge Management to Consulting):

How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

The Project Fits in the Catalyst Open Proposal

The project is a new and innovative idea that falls outside the mainstream of the other Challenges. Its research will explore the potential of ZKPs to bridge the gap between privacy and investigation in the context of cybercrime, and:

• Fully Open source: The project is open source, and the outputs will be shared in the form of a white paper for research purposes, as well as a public presentation of the ZKP-based solutions.

• Benefits: The project will benefit the Cardano ecosystem by helping to make Cardano a more secure and privacy-preserving platform. It will also help to grow the DeFi ecosystem by providing a more secure and privacy-preserving way to identify users online.

Bridging privacy and law enforcement can bring value. But what does it bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) are a powerful cryptographic tool that can be used to bridge the gap between privacy and law enforcement. ZKPs allow users to prove their identity or ownership of data without revealing any sensitive information. This means that law enforcement can still investigate and prosecute cybercrime while also protecting the privacy of ordinary citizens.

This research will explore the potential of ZKPs to be used to develop new and innovative solutions for bridging the gap between privacy and law enforcement. The results of this research will have a significant impact on the Cardano ecosystem, making it a more secure and privacy-preserving platform.

The research is important because it addresses a critical issue in the Cardano ecosystem, that all major platforms and governments are observing. Cybercrime is a growing threat, and law enforcement needs new tools to investigate and prosecute cybercriminals, while also protecting the privacy of ordinary citizens.

Here are some specific benefits of the research:

• Efficiency improvement of law enforcement investigations, and by that it provides a cooperativeness with law enforcement agencies.
• Turns Cardano into a more secure and privacy-preserving platform.
• Growth of the DeFi ecosystem by providing a more secure and privacy-preserving way to identify users online.
• Protection of ordinary citizens’ privacy, while also allowing law enforcement to investigate and prosecute cybercrime.
• Attracting new users to the Cardano ecosystem by providing them with a more secure and privacy-preserving way to interact with the platform.

Contact experts

The project will involve close collaboration with experts from universities all over the world, as well as law enforcement agents and private sector investigators. This will ensure that the project is well-informed by the latest research and that it is designed to meet the needs of the real world.

The project team will reach out to experts in the following areas:

• Zero-knowledge proofs: Close collaboration with zero-knowledge proof experts, in order to develop and identify new solutions.
• Cybercrime: Understanding of challenges faced by law enforcement in collaboration with experts in cybercrime, in order to understand and develop effective solutions.
• Privacy: Collaboration with privacy experts, in order to ensure that the new solutions efficiently protect ordinary citizens.

The project team will also reach out to law enforcement agents and private sector investigators in order to get their input on the project and to ensure that the solutions identified are designed to meet their needs.

The project team will use a variety of methods to communicate with experts, including email, video conferencing, and in-person meetings. We are committed to working with experts from all over the world to identify the best possible solutions for bridging the gap between privacy and law enforcement and to provide the Cardano ecosystem with the necessary tools and cooperation to prevent cyber criminals from further exploring the cryptocurrency environment.

How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

This is not an isolated effort for DLT360, but a step towards establishing clear and necessary cooperativeness with law enforcement agencies to prevent cybercrimes. To measure the success of the project, we will employ a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures. The following are some key areas we intend to measure:

1. The quality of the research

The quality of the research will be measured by the following criteria:

• The novelty of the research:

• The research will be considered novel if it proposes new and innovative solutions for bridging the gap between privacy and law enforcement. This means that the research should not simply be a rehash of existing work, but should offer new insights or approaches to the problem. The project team will assess the novelty of the research by reviewing the existing literature and by consulting with experts in the field.

• Does the research propose new and innovative solutions for bridging the gap between privacy and law enforcement?

• Does the research address a significant problem in the field of zero-knowledge proofs, cybercrime, or privacy that has not been addressed before?

• Does the research build on existing research in a novel way?

• The rigour of the research:

• The research will be considered rigorous if it is well-conducted and follows the best practices in the field of zero-knowledge proofs. This means that the research should be methodologically sound and should use appropriate statistical methods. The project team will assess the rigour of the research by reviewing the research plan and by consulting with experts in the field.

• Is the research well-conducted?

• Does the research follow the best practices in the field of zero-knowledge proofs?

• Are the methods used in the research sound and appropriate?

• Are the results of the research reproducible?

• The relevance of the research:

• The research will be considered relevant if it addresses a significant problem in the field of zero-knowledge proofs, cybercrime, or privacy. This means that the research should be addressing a problem that is important to the field and that the solutions proposed should be feasible and implementable. The project team will assess the relevance of the research by reviewing the problem statement and by consulting with experts in the field.

• Does the research address a significant problem in the field of zero-knowledge proofs, cybercrime, or privacy?

• Are the results of the research likely to have a positive impact on the Cardano ecosystem?

• Are the results of the research likely to be of interest to a wider audience, such as researchers, developers, and policymakers?

The project team will use the following methods to assess the quality of the research:

• Reviews by experts: The research will be submitted to be reviewed by experts in the field of zero-knowledge proofs, cybercrime, and privacy. These experts will assess the novelty, rigour, and relevance of the research.

• Publication in a peer-reviewed journal: The research will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. This process will ensure that the research is reviewed by experts in the field and that it meets the standards of the journal.

• Citations of the research: The number of citations of the research will be tracked to assess its impact. This will show how widely the research is being read and used by other researchers.

2. The feedback from experts

The project team will conduct various interviews with experts in the field to measure the quality of the research. Their expertise will also be used to contribute to the research. The feedback from experts will be measured by the following criteria:

• The opinions of experts: The project team will survey experts in the field of zero-knowledge proofs, cybercrime, and privacy to get their feedback on the project.
• The citations of the research: The number of citations of the research will be tracked to assess the impact of the project on the field.

The project team will use the following methods to assess the feedback from experts:

• Surveys of experts: The project team will survey experts in the field of zero-knowledge proofs, cybercrime, and privacy to get their feedback on the project.
• Quantitative metrics: The project team will track quantitative metrics, such as the number of citations of the research and the number of times the project is mentioned in the media.
• Qualitative metrics: The project team will also track qualitative metrics, such as the opinions of experts on the impact of the project on the field.

The project team will use a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics to assess the feedback from experts. The quantitative metrics will provide an objective measure of the impact of the project, while the qualitative metrics will provide a more subjective understanding of the project's impact.

Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

This project is part of the overall DLT360 mission and business model. The outputs of this project will be of long-term use and will be systematically shared as follows:

• Community Engagement:

• Regular updates and announcements will be shared with the Cardano community through official channels, including Discord, and community newsletters.

• Community feedback and suggestions will be actively sought and incorporated into future iterations of the project.

• Collaboration and Partnerships:

• We will actively seek opportunities to collaborate with other projects, research institutions, and organizations within the Cardano ecosystem. This collaboration may include joint research, sharing of resources, and cross-promotion of outputs and opportunities.

• Partnerships with industry players, media outlets, and influencers will be pursued to increase the visibility of the project's outputs and impact.

• Knowledge Transfer:

• We will organize online sessions to share knowledge gained from the project with interested community members and developers.

• Engaging in speaking engagements and panel discussions at relevant conferences and events will provide an opportunity to present the project's outputs and impact to a wider audience. This will allow the project team to share the research with a wider audience and to get feedback from experts.

• The research will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. This will ensure that the research is accessible to a wide audience of researchers and practitioners.

• The project team plans to create a website and blog to share the research with the public. This will make the research accessible to a wider audience and will help to raise awareness of the project.

The project team plans to spread the project's outputs over a reasonable timescale. The research will be published in a peer-reviewed journal within 12 months of the completion of the project. The project team will also present the research at conferences and workshops within 12 months of the completion of the project. The project team will also use the infrastructure within DLT360 to provide a public whitepaper.

The project team plans to share the outputs/impact and opportunities that will occur as a result of the completed project with the following stakeholders:

1. Researchers: Researchers in the field of zero-knowledge proofs, cybercrime, and privacy. This will help to advance the state of research in these fields.
2. Regulatory Agencies and Blockchain Data Platforms: This will help them develop policies that address the challenges of cybercrime and privacy.
3. The general public: This will help to raise awareness of the challenges of cybercrime and privacy and of the potential solutions that can be offered by zero-knowledge proofs.

The project team expects to use the results generated from the project in further research and development activities. The project team plans to conduct further research on zero-knowledge proofs and their applications to cybercrime and privacy. The project team also plans to develop new applications that use zero-knowledge proofs. By sharing the outputs, impact, and opportunities resulting from the completed project through various channels, engaging with the Cardano community, seeking partnerships, and utilizing the results in further research and development activities, we aim to maximize the project's visibility, relevance, and long-term impact within the Cardano ecosystem.

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

DLT360 was founded by an ambitious core team coming from many years of leadership experience in business and industry, combined with the fresh perspective of young talents in various disciplines (see team description later in this proposal). The senior founders have also been active members of and contributors to the Catalyst community since early on.

DLT360's core team and extended domain expert team in the knowledge areas of

• Economy
• Technology
• Regulation
• Politics
• ESG

has grown to approximately 25 people (the majority still part-time) during the past 2 years. With Fund 10, we also want to finance the launch of the DLT360 Token as the incentive basis for growing a vibrant global community of content contributors and solution partners.

DLT360 has successfully completed various projects in Funds 6, 7 and 8. Fund 10 is now dedicated to finalizing DLT360's foundational developments. This will get us to scale up our activities in 2024, for which we are aiming for a strategic partnership-based financing round - with the vision to become THE major think-tank and commercial consulting entity in the dynamically growing CARDANO/Web 3.0 space.

This research is a continuation of the university thesis of Victor Cabral, a young talent at DLT360 who specializes in social sciences and criminology. He possesses an extensive experience in criminal law and holds a master's degree from the University of Law and Political Sciences of Nantes, France, and in 2024 he will be completing his second year of specialization.

What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

This project is focusing on achieving the following goals and deliverables:

• Establish positive and direct communication with regulatory agencies, experts, researchers, and industry.

• Deliverable: At least 15 interviews focusing on solutions to cybercrime and privacy.

• Develop comprehensive research on common solutions in the field of investigations and how ZKP can bridge privacy and law enforcement:

• Deliverable: Whitepaper on possible solutions using ZKP technology.

• Present the results:

• Deliverable: Short presentation (approximately 10 slides).

Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Please find the basic definition of our Milestones and the related timeline and activities below:

Milestone 1: Building up knowledge and understanding to conduct interviews with the experts. (Month 1)

• Task 1: Listing of sources

• Activity: Conduct a literature review on zero-knowledge proofs, cybercrime, and privacy.

• Output: A list of relevant sources, including academic papers, books, and websites.

• Success Criteria: The list of sources should be comprehensive and up-to-date.

• Task 2: Identification of experts

• Activity: Identify experts in the field of zero-knowledge proofs, cybercrime, and privacy.

• Output: A list of experts, including their contact information.

• Success Criteria: The list of experts should be comprehensive and include experts from a variety of backgrounds.

Milestone 2: Conducting interviews with experts (Month 2-3)

• Task 1: Conduct interviews

• Activity: Conduct interviews with the experts.

• Output: Audio recordings of the interviews, along with transcripts.

• Success Criteria: The interviews should be conducted in a professional and respectful manner. The transcripts should be accurate and complete.

• Task 2: Analysis of interview data

• Activity: Analyze the data from the interviews.

• Output: A report on the findings of the interviews.

• Success Criteria: The report should be clear and concise, and it should identify the key themes and findings from the interviews.

Milestone 3: Review and revise whitepaper (Month 4)

• Task 1: Review of whitepaper
• Activity: Review the whitepaper with experts in the field.
• Output: A revised whitepaper.
• Success Criteria: The revised whitepaper should be clear and concise, and it should address the feedback from the experts.
• Task 2: Submission of whitepaper
• Activity: Submit the whitepaper to a peer-reviewed journal.
• Output: A letter of acceptance from the journal.
• Success Criteria: The whitepaper should be accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Milestone 4: Presentation of results (Month 5)

• Task 1: Presentation of results
• Activity: Present the results of the project at a conference or workshop.
• Output: A presentation of the results.
• Success Criteria: The presentation should be clear and concise, and it should highlight the key findings of the project.

Milestone 5: Dissemination of results (Month 6)

• Task 1: Dissemination of results
• Activity: Disseminate the results of the project to the public in the DLT360 Website.
• Output: A blog post or article on the results of the project.
• Success Criteria: The results of the project should be disseminated to a wide audience.

Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

Milestone 1: Building up knowledge and understanding to conduct interviews with the experts. (Month 1)

• Deliverables:
• A list of relevant sources, including academic papers, books, and websites.
• A list of experts in the field of zero-knowledge proofs, cybercrime, and privacy, including their contact information.
• Outputs:
• A literature review on zero-knowledge proofs, cybercrime, and privacy.
• A report on the identification of experts.
• Intended Outcomes:
• The project team will have a comprehensive understanding of the field of zero-knowledge proofs, cybercrime, and privacy.
• The project team will have identified a list of experts who can provide valuable insights into the project.
• Progress Measurement:
• The project team will track the number of sources reviewed and the number of experts identified.

Milestone 2: Conducting interviews with experts (Month 2-3)

• Deliverables:
• Audio recordings of the interviews.
• Transcripts of the interviews.
• Outputs:
• A report on the findings of the interviews.
• Intended Outcomes:
• The project team will have a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities related to using zero-knowledge proofs to address cybercrime and privacy.
• The project team will have identified potential solutions to these challenges.
• Progress Measurement:
• The project team will track the number of interviews conducted and the number of transcripts produced.

Milestone 3: Write and revise whitepaper (Month 4)

• Deliverables: A revised whitepaper.
• Outputs: A whitepaper that is clear, concise, and persuasive.
• Intended Outcomes: The whitepaper will provide a clear and concise overview of the potential solutions to using zero-knowledge proofs to address cybercrime and privacy. The whitepaper will be well-written and persuasive, and it will be suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
• Progress Measurement:
• The project team will track the number of revisions made to the whitepaper.

Milestone 4: Presentation of results (Month 5)

• Deliverables:
• A presentation of the results of the project.
• Outputs:
• A presentation that is clear, concise, and engaging.
• Intended Outcomes:
• The presentation will highlight the key findings of the project.
• The presentation will generate interest in the project and its findings.
• Progress Measurement:
• The project team will track the number of people who attend the presentation.

Milestone 5: Dissemination of results & Documentation (Month 6)

• Deliverables:
• A blog post or article on the results of the project.
• Outputs:
• A blog post or article that is clear, concise, and informative.
• Intended Outcomes:
• The blog post or article will disseminate the results of the project to a wider audience.
• The blog post or article will generate discussion and debate about the project and its findings.
• Progress Measurement:
• The project team will track the number of people who read the blog post or article.

Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Milestone 1: Building up knowledge and understanding to conduct interviews with the experts. (Month 1)

• Research and Literature Review: 100 hours x 165 ADA/hour = 16,500 ADA
• Identifying Experts: 60 hours x 100 ADA/hour = 6,000 ADA
• Total: 22,500 ADA

Milestone 2: Conducting interviews with experts (Month 2-3)

• Expert Interviews: 100 hours x 225 ADA/hour = 22,500 ADA
• Total: 22,500 ADA

Milestone 3: Write and revise whitepaper (Month 4)

• Whitepaper Development: 75 hours x 200 ADA/hour = 15,000 ADA
• Total: 15,000 ADA

Milestone 4: Presentation of results (Month 5)

• Presentation Preparation: 30 hours x 200 ADA/hour = 6,000 ADA
• Total: 6,000 ADA

Milestone 5: Dissemination of results & Documentation (Month 6)

• Blog Post/Article: 20 hours x 200 ADA/hour = 4,000 ADA
• Documentation & Reporting: 20 hours x 250 ADA/hour = 5,000 ADA
• Total: 9,000 ADA

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Project Lead

• Heinz Gassner, founder of DLT360 comes from 30+ years of experience in technology marketing and innovation leadership positions in renowned manufacturing companies. In addition to this, Heinz has education and experience in general business administration and regulatory matters and is just completing his latest M.Sc. in DLT/Blockchain at the University of Malta (with Dissertation in Decentralized Digital Identity area). Due to his long industry career, Heinz also has a strong personal network within the business and industry leadership community. Heinz has been engaged with CARDANO since 2017 and is an active player within the Catalyst community since the very first town hall. See LinkedIn

Legal Research Lead

• Victor Cabral, Legal Analyst at DLT, holds a bachelor's degree in Law and a master's degree in Criminal Law and Social Sciences from the Faculté de Droit et des Sciences Politiques de Nantes Université, France. In his second year at the institution, he will specialize in financial crimes, and his master's project will focus on cybercriminal activities involving cryptocurrency and law enforcement. See LinkedIn.

Research assistant and graphic design

• Jonas Weinberger, co-founder of DLT360. Jonas has recently graduated from the Brussels School of Governance. Jonas is a regular contributor to DLT360’s legal workstream and is an active part of the DLT360 research team. Jonas is also our internal mastermind in design, presentation and video production. See LinkedIn

Project Management

• Guilherme Pereira, co-founder of DLT360, just completing his M.Sc. in Mechatronics in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Guilherme is active in our research team and is our program- and project management lead. See LinkedIn

Business and Industry Expert, Quality Control

• Thorsten Pottebaum, co-founder and CTO of DLT360 is a very active player in the Cardano Catalyst community. Thorsten comes with a long industry experience in financial management, IT and cybersecurity (cybersecurity audit program manager). See LinkedIn

Additional Ressources

Besides our core team, this project will be supported by

• The DLT360 back office team
• The DLT360 Dev team
• DLT360 Domain Experts for assisting us on demand
• Selected external experts (to be interviewed during this project)

How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The following background is important for understanding our project-costing

• The DLT 360 Team is located in Europe, the UK and Brazil
• Flexible on-demand access to experts in various disciplines (the DLT360 Domain Expert Team)
• Our Brazil location allows us to do intelligent and efficient cost-arbitration (back-office, project management, research assistance, design assistance and alike)