Identity without surveillance
The Powm Standard for a Privacy-First Web
Date: December 2025
1. Introduction
The internet was built on a promise of freedom, but anonymity has created dangerous blind spots. To protect minors and enforce accountability, regulators (ARCOM, AVMSD) now demand strict verification, pushing the industry toward a "Total Surveillance" model where digital checkpoints require sensitive document uploads at every URL.
Powm proposes a third path. We are a next-generation digital identity wallet that solves the two biggest problems in the digital economy: User Friction and Data Liability.
We refuse to accept the "False Choice" between safety and privacy. By allowing users to store their own identity credentials locally and share them via cryptographic proofs, Powm enables businesses to verify users instantly without ever handling, seeing, or storing sensitive personal documents.
2. The Market Problem: A Broken Trust Model
Today's identity landscape fails both the user and the enterprise.
2.1 The "Honeypot" & Liability Risk
Current solutions rely on centralized databases. To verify age or identity, businesses must collect passports and selfies, creating massive "honeypots" of data.
For Business: This creates toxic liability (GDPR/CCPA compliance burdens) and turns their servers into targets for hackers.
For Users: It creates a "Surveillance Economy." Verification events become data points, tracking user behavior across the web.
2.2 The Friction Crisis
Security kills conversion. Users detest long signup forms and intrusive facial scans.
Drop-off: When faced with a requirement to upload an ID for a simple transaction, users churn.
Redundancy: Users are forced to repeat this invasive process for every single service they use.
3. The Powm Solution: Proof Without Exposure
Powm flips the model. We replace "Data Transfer" with "Cryptographic Proof." Instead of a central database holding IDs, every user carries their own verified credentials in a secure wallet on their device.
3.1 The Local-First Vault
We believe identity belongs to the individual. In the Powm architecture, identity attributes (e.g., "Over 18," "Verified Resident") are stored locally on the user's device hardware (Secure Enclave).
The Difference: Instead of the cloud holding the ID, the phone holds a cryptographic "permit."
The Benefit: A hacker cannot steal what the business does not hold.
3.2 Double-Blind Architecture
Powm mathematically decouples Who You Are from What You Do.
The Issuer checks the ID but never sees which websites the user visits.
The Verifier (Business) receives a guaranteed "YES/NO" token but never sees the user's IP address or raw data.
The Result: Compliance is achieved, but the digital trail is broken.
4. How It Works: The "Scan & Go" Flow
We have reduced complex cryptography to a seamless consumer experience.
Challenge: The Application (e.g., an age-restricted site or event venue) requests a specific verification: "Verify user is 18+."
Interaction: The user scans a QR code with their Powm Wallet.
Decision: The user sees exactly what is requested and taps "Accept."
Proof: Powm generates a single-use cryptographic token. The Application receives instant verification.
The Result: No forms. No typing. No uploads. Just a "Green Light" in seconds.
5. Business Value & Use Cases
5.1 Value Proposition
Zero Friction: Instant verification increases conversion rates compared to traditional ID uploads.
Zero Liability: Businesses never touch raw PII (Personally Identifiable Information). You cannot lose data you never collected.
Cost Efficiency: Our model is significantly cheaper than current market solutions (e.g., legacy KYC providers).
5.2 Pricing Model: Pay-Per-Challenge
We operate on a utility model.
Performance-based: You are only charged when a user successfully completes an identity challenge.
Risk-free: Unsuccessful, canceled, or rejected challenges incur no cost.
5.3 Core Use Cases
Age-Restricted Content: Compliance with ARCOM/AVMSD without ruining the user experience or storing user logs.
E-Commerce & Retail: Instant checkout verification for high-risk goods.
Physical Access & Events: Combining ticketing with identity in a single, unforgeable scan.
6. Conclusion: A Neutral Utility
As the demand for digital identity grows, society rejects the "Surveillance State" model. Powm positions itself as a Neutral External Utility: we have no ad network, no political agenda, and no data monetization.
We are building the infrastructure where Privacy and Safety are partners. By leveraging modern cryptography, we allow businesses to enforce the laws of the physical world while preserving the freedom of the digital world.
Powm: Prove the Age. Not the Identity.
Contact & Demo Ready to eliminate verification friction and liability? Email: contact@powm.app