human.tech Launches Privacy SDK That Lets Developers Build Web3 Apps Without Compromising Compliance

Privacy has long been one of Web3's biggest promises—and one of its hardest technical challenges.

human.tech is aiming to change that with the launch of the Clean SDK, a developer toolkit that combines zero-knowledge identity verification, sanctions screening and private transactions into a single framework.

Released alongside Aztec v5, the SDK gives developers the tools to build privacy-first applications without collecting sensitive user data or building compliance infrastructure from scratch.

Privacy Meets Accountability

The Clean SDK is designed around a simple idea: users should be able to prove they're legitimate without revealing who they are.

Instead of storing personal information, the SDK uses zero-knowledge cryptography to verify that users have passed identity checks and sanctions screening while keeping their identities hidden.

The framework combines three programmable verification layers:

• Proof of Innocence, which screens wallets and funds against 23 sanctions lists at both deposit and withdrawal.

• Proof of Personhood, powered by Human Passport, confirming that a unique human—not a bot or AI agent—is behind each interaction.

• Proof of Clean Hands, which enables higher-assurance verification through zero-knowledge government-issued identity credentials for larger or higher-risk transactions.

Together, these tools allow applications to meet compliance requirements without exposing personal information or storing sensitive identity data.

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Shield Becomes the First Live Application

Launching alongside the SDK is Shield, the first application built using the Clean SDK. Designed as a privacy-preserving bridge into Aztec, Shield allows users—and even autonomous AI agents—to move assets while proving, in zero knowledge, that the sender is a verified human and that transferred funds have successfully passed sanctions screening.

Importantly, those checks occur without revealing the user's identity to either the application or the blockchain.

The protocol's smart contracts were independently audited by Nethermind earlier this year before launch.

Building Infrastructure for the AI Era

human.tech says the SDK is intended for far more than private payments. As autonomous AI agents increasingly begin interacting with financial systems, developers will need reliable ways to verify that transactions originate from legitimate participants while preserving user privacy.

"Privacy without accountability invites abuse, while accountability without privacy becomes surveillance," said Shady El Damaty, co-founder of human.tech.

"The Clean SDK eliminates that false choice by giving developers programmable building blocks for private, accountable applications. Shield demonstrates what's possible today, but our goal is to enable an entire ecosystem of applications built on the same foundation."

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A New Model for Web3 Compliance

Unlike traditional compliance systems that rely on centralized identity databases, the Clean SDK keeps identity credentials encrypted off-chain, generating cryptographic proofs only when verification is required.

While Shield demonstrates the technology through private transfers between Ethereum and Aztec, the SDK is designed for much broader use across DeFi, digital identity, AI agents and other privacy-sensitive applications.

As demand grows for privacy without sacrificing accountability, human.tech is positioning the Clean SDK as a foundation for the next generation of compliant Web3 applications.