Privacy & Identity

What's public, what's private, and how Landblock handles identity without exposing personal data.

The challenge

Land records are sensitive. They reveal who owns what, where people live, and what financial obligations they carry. A system that makes all of this publicly visible on a blockchain would create serious privacy and safety risks — especially in regions with political instability or land conflict.

At the same time, some level of transparency is essential for the system to be useful. Landblock solves this through tiered disclosure and privacy-preserving identity.

Tiered disclosure

Each registry controls its own disclosure policy. Records are classified as:

• Public — accessible to anyone. Typically used for parcel boundaries and basic ownership status.
• Restricted — accessible to accredited institutions (banks, courts, other registries). Used for detailed rights and identity information.
• Sealed — accessible only under court order or by the registry authority. Used for sensitive records involving disputed rights or protected individuals.

The registry sets the disclosure level for each record. National law governs what must be accessible and to whom. Landblock does not override those rules.

Decentralized identity (DIDs)

Landblock uses W3C Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) for identity, implemented through SpruceID. A DID is a self-sovereign identifier — it's owned by the person or organization it represents, not by any central authority.

When a party proves their identity on Landblock, they use their DID. The DID itself doesn't reveal personal information — it's just a verifiable identifier. Personal details (name, address, nationality) are stored off-chain and shared only when required and authorized.

Zero-knowledge proofs

For cases where a party needs to prove something about themselves without revealing the underlying data — for example, proving they are a citizen of a certain country without revealing their name — Landblock supports zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) selective disclosure.

This means a landowner can prove they hold a right without exposing which parcel, or prove their nationality without revealing their full identity. The verifier gets the confirmation they need; the individual keeps their privacy.

What Landblock does not store

• Names, addresses, or personal details of landowners
• Full land records or survey documents
• Any data beyond what is operationally necessary to verify a proof

All sensitive data stays with the registry that holds it, governed by the laws of that jurisdiction.