Marco Pratesi
Marco Pratesi is a software engineer with a multidisciplinary background in both music and technology. After earning a degree from the “Alfredo Casella” Conservatory in L’Aquila, he pursued his academic path in Computer Engineering at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. He is skilled in operating systems, process management, and software architecture design. Marco has developed expertise in the analysis and development of complex systems, with a particular focus on performance optimization and process efficiency. He collaborates on multidisciplinary projects that combine creativity and technological innovation, contributing with an integrated perspective that bridges art and engineering.
Session
Self-Sovereign Identity promises a different way of proving who we are online: instead of relying on a central identity provider, users can hold verifiable credentials and decide what information to disclose.
But how much information do we really need to reveal to prove something about ourselves?
In many digital interactions, a verifier does not need to know our full identity. It may only need to know whether we are over 18, authorised to access a service, hold a valid qualification, or possess a non-revoked credential.
This talk explores how selective disclosure, Zero-Knowledge Proofs and cryptographic accumulators can support a shift from identity disclosure to proof-based verification. Instead of transferring personal data and protecting it afterwards, users can prove that a requirement is satisfied without revealing the underlying information.
Using scenarios inspired by the TRUSTED project, we discuss data minimisation, unlinkability, credential validity and revocation. We also look beyond cryptography itself: even privacy-preserving credentials can still enable correlation, metadata leakage or unnecessary identification if the wider identity flow is poorly designed.
The key question is therefore not only “Can I prove who I am?”, but “Can I prove what you need to know without telling you who I am?”