Umia zkTLS Extension
Privacy-preserving audience verification for Tailored Auctions
The Umia zkTLS Extension is a browser-based tool that enables privacy-preserving identity verification for Tailored Auctions. It allows founders to target specific communities and participant profiles without linking personal identity to onchain wallets.
For the full implementation walkthrough, see Reclaim zkTLS Integration.
Install the Extension
Get the Umia Reclaim Verifier from the Chrome Web Store.
The Problem: Open Auctions Aren't Always Ideal
When launching a token, founders often want to ensure that their earliest supporters come from specific communities or meet certain criteria. A gaming protocol might want early holders to be active gamers; an AI tooling project might prefer participants who are active open-source contributors.
Traditionally, achieving this requires either centralized KYC (which creates privacy concerns and friction) or fully open access (which prevents any form of audience curation). Neither option is satisfactory.
How zkTLS Works
zkTLS (Zero-Knowledge Transport Layer Security) enables an auction participant to prove they meet specific criteria while minimizing what must be revealed to the auction flow. The Umia browser extension leverages this technology to create privacy-preserving proofs that can be verified onchain.
The process works as follows:
Founder Defines Criteria
When configuring a Tailored Auction, the founder specifies which audience criteria apply to specific allocation buckets. Examples include:
- GitHub identity, contribution history or activity level
- Specific token holdings or onchain activity
- Platform reputation scores (e.g., gamer scores)
- Loyalty program membership (e.g., airline miles tiers)
- Social media following or engagement metrics
Participant Installs the Extension
Participants install the Umia browser extension, which acts as the bridge between their web2 data and onchain verification.
Install it from the Chrome Web Store: Umia Reclaim Verifier.
Proof Generation
The extension connects to the relevant data source (e.g., GitHub, a gaming platform, or a loyalty program) and generates a proof that the participant meets the specified criteria. In the strongest provider setups, this can avoid revealing:
- The participant's raw account name on the source platform
- Exact data values, beyond what is needed to prove eligibility
- A public KYC-style linkage between the participant's wallet address and their real-world identity
Onchain Verification
The zkTLS proof is submitted onchain, where a smart contract verifies it and grants the participant access to the relevant allocation bucket.
Use Cases
Targeted Community Rounds
A project building AI developer tools could create an auction bucket exclusively for GitHub users with a certain number of contributions, ensuring that early token holders are actual developers who might use the product.
Tiered Access
A project could structure multiple auction phases with different criteria: the first day reserved for existing community members (verified via a specific platform), the second day for broader crypto-native users, and the remaining days open to all.
Cross-Ecosystem Bridging
Projects can reach users from entirely different ecosystems. A Web3 gaming project could target participants based on their gaming history on traditional platforms, bridging the gap between Web2 users and onchain participation.
Privacy Guarantees
Privacy Depends on Provider Design
Umia binds proofs to wallets without requiring public KYC, but the exact privacy level depends on what the Reclaim provider includes in the signed proof context. The strongest setup is a provider that exposes only minimal fields and a provider-scoped pseudonymous identifier.
The zkTLS approach is designed to provide:
- Wallet-bound verification. Proofs are tied to the bidding wallet, which prevents replay across wallets.
- Data minimization where provider design allows it. The best privacy comes from providers that expose only threshold checks or pseudonymous extracted parameters.
- User sovereignty. Participants choose when and whether to generate proofs. The extension does not collect or store personal data.
For the privacy model, OPRF-based sybil resistance, and exact on-chain/off-chain flow, see Reclaim zkTLS Integration.
For Founders
When setting up your Tailored Auction through the Umia CLI or web interface, you can configure zkTLS criteria as part of the audience targeting step. The system supports a growing list of verifiable data sources, and custom integrations can be discussed with the Umia team for Curated Track projects.
Next Steps
Now that you understand how audience targeting works, learn about post-launch governance in Umia's Legal Framework and Decision Markets.