Midnight Network "Privacy First" Challenge

This is a submission for the Midnight Network "Privacy First" Challenge - Protect That Data prompt

What I Built

I built Halal Guard, a decentralized application (DApp) that provides a privacy-first solution for Halal food recommendations. It solves the problem of needing to share sensitive dietary preferences with a third party to get personalized recommendations.

The DApp allows users to input their dietary restrictions. It then uses a zero-knowledge (ZK) proof mechanism to verify compliance with a product's Halal criteria without ever exposing the user's personal choices. This ensures that privacy is the core feature, not an afterthought.

Demo

GitHub Repository:https://github.com/cutieyunny-tech/HalalGuard-DApp

Screenshots and a detailed tutorial are available in the project's README.md file.

How I Used Midnight's Technology

This DApp demonstrates the core concepts of Midnight's privacy capabilities. I have simulated the use of Midnight's ZK circuits and MidnightJS within the application's logic.

The user's preferences are handled as private inputs that would be fed into a ZK circuit. This circuit would generate a cryptographic proof. The DApp then verifies this proof against product data on the smart contract, ensuring compliance without ever needing to see or store the user's sensitive information.

Data Protection as a Core Feature

Privacy is central to this DApp's design from the ground up. Instead of a traditional model where a server holds user data, my solution empowers the user to hold their own data. The ZK proof is the key to this model.

The DApp never asks for a name, email, or any personal identifier. All verification happens on-chain, using a proof that only confirms a statement ("This user's preferences are Halal-compliant") without revealing the "why" (the actual preferences). This ensures that the user's data is truly protected.

Set Up Instructions / Tutorial

A detailed, step-by-step tutorial is included in the project's README.md file. It explains the project concept, how to run the DApp, and how the core privacy features were implemented.

Credits & Inspirations
This project is a culmination of a few different creative efforts and inspirations, including:

Collaborative Teamwork: Key concepts, brainstorming sessions, and core ideas came from team projects I was a part of, including my work with the Ecoquest team and my participation in a game jam.

Independent Research: The "halal guard" concept was derived from my personal research, specifically from my PhD documents and a notebook.

External Sources: The overall aesthetic and certain mechanics were influenced by various other sources, including the Google AI Multimodal Hackathon and different games I have played.

This project is a reflection of all these influences blended together, and I'm grateful for the collaborative spirit that helped shape it.