MidnightZK Data-Marketplace for Authentic Human Data: Nuauth

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

MidnightZK Data-Marketplace for Authentic Human Data: Nuauth

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

70000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

5

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Cardano lacks a privacy-first market for verified human data. As 90% of content becomes AI-generated, models will train on synthetic noise, driving misinformation and IP theft.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://app.nucast.io/
,
• https://x.com/NucastIO
,
• https://www.nucastlabs.xyz/

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

No dependencies

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

MIT License

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.

Marketplace

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).

Our proposal introduces a ZK-verified Human Data Market on Cardano. Unlike past projects, it stamps content at creation with privacy-preserving proofs, proving origin and enabling secure licensing. This prevents AI from training on synthetic noise, protects IP, and opens a new economic layer, Human Intelligence Trade where creators monetize verified data while AI gains trusted inputs.

Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.

The MVP will demonstrate ZK-based content stamping, licensing smart contracts, and a verified data marketplace deployed on Cardano testnet. Users will register content, verify ownership, and license datasets. AI developers can access verified human-generated data, ensuring training quality. The prototype will be open, testable on-chain, and accessible to the Cardano community for feedback and adoption.

Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.

Number of Zero knowledge verified Data sets registered on-chain on cardano

Active licensing transactions & royalties paid via smart contracts and settled through CNTs

Datasets accessed by AI developers for training

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

Today, individuals have no control over their personal data, which is harvested, sold, and exploited without consent. Meanwhile, AI is at risk of training on synthetic noise as 90% of online content soon becomes AI-generated, fueling misinformation, deepfakes, and IP theft. Cardano currently lacks a privacy-first data market to address these challenges.

NuAuth is a zero-knowledge–powered marketplace for the Human Intelligence Trade on Cardano. It verifies content at creation, stamping it with proof of origin, ownership, and integrity while preserving privacy. This ensures creators can monetize their works fairly, and AI systems can access verified, high-quality human data for trustworthy training.

The platform operates on a simple principle: authenticity should be proven at the source, not guessed after the fact. Every time a creator, organization, or platform produces content whether text, image, video, dataset, or AI output NuAuth stamps it on the Cardano blockchain with a ZK-verified proof of origin. This immutable record confirms authorship, creation time, and content integrity without exposing the raw data.

Proof of Origin: ZK-verified content stamping and on-chain IP registration.

Proof of Rights: Automated licensing, royalties, and privacy-preserving access controls.

Proof of Value: A marketplace for AI developers to access verified human-generated data.

Core Components:

Decentralized IP & Data Repository – Creators register works on-chain, creating a permanent, tamper-proof record of ownership.

ZK-Verified Content Stamping – Zero-knowledge proofs confirm authenticity and origin while preserving confidentiality.

Automated Licensing & Royalties – Smart contracts handle IP licensing, usage permissions, and royalty payouts instantly and transparently.

Human Intelligence Data Marketplace – AI developers access verified, human-generated datasets for model training, preserving AI quality and avoiding contamination from synthetic or unverified data.

Privacy-Preserving Access Controls – Attribute-based encryption (ABE) ensures only authorized parties can access sensitive data while ownership and licensing remain transparent.

Who will it engage:

For Creators: Prevents IP theft, proves ownership instantly, and enables monetization through automated licensing.

For AI Developers: Guarantees training data integrity, avoiding model degradation from low-quality or synthetic content.

For End Users: Establishes trust in digital media, ensuring they consume verified content.

By leveraging Cardano and Midnight’s ZK privacy layer, NuAuth ensures scalability, interoperability, and security. This solution shifts the paradigm from reactive detection of misinformation to proactive proof of authenticity, creating a new infrastructure for trusted content in the AI era.

NuAuth establishes Cardano as the home for a privacy-first Human Intelligence Trade. It transforms human knowledge into an asset class, creating new economic opportunities while positioning Cardano at the forefront of trusted AI infrastructure. This strengthens Cardano and data economy ecosystem while showcasing the unique value of Midnight’s ZK technology.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

NuAuth establishes Cardano as the blockchain of choice for content authenticity, IP protection, and trusted AI data. By anchoring provenance at creation, NuAuth demonstrates Cardano’s scalability, zero-knowledge capabilities, and readiness for real-world industry adoption. This extends Cardano’s role beyond finance into the global data economy.

Supporting Creators and Data Owners

NuAuth’s Human Intelligence Trade marketplace gives individuals and publishers full control over their work with transparent licensing, automated royalties, and fair compensation. It unlocks new revenue streams while ensuring content remains protected and monetised directly on Cardano.

Protecting AI Model Integrity

AI developers gain access to verified, human-generated datasets, preventing performance losses caused by synthetic or unverified inputs. NuAuth ensures Cardano becomes the trusted guardian of data integrity in AI.

Combatting Global Misinformation

By cryptographically stamping authenticity at the point of creation, NuAuth shifts trust back to verified sources removing reliance on unreliable after-the-fact detection. This tackles the growing threat of misinformation, positioning Cardano as the anchor of truth in digital media.

Catalyzing New Economic Models

NuAuth creates a privacy-preserving, user-controlled data economy that incentivises honesty, creativity, and stewardship. This foundation supports next-generation marketplaces across media and academia powered by Cardano.

Metrics & Transparency

Tracking registered works, licensed datasets, and distributed royalties.

Number of Zero-knowledge verified Data sets registered on-chain on cardano

Datasets accessed by AI developers for training

NuAuth will elevate Cardano’s credibility as the backbone for authentic content and trusted AI data. It will attract publishers, AI companies, and creative industries into the ecosystem driving real-world adoption while proving Cardano’s value in protecting creators and strengthening AI integrity.

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & Feasibility

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Our development team is highly skilled, with extensive experience in blockchain development, specifically on the Cardano platform. We have successfully contributed to several Cardano-based projects and are proficient in Cardano dApp development, ensuring NuAuth is built on a solid technical foundation.

Zero-Knowledge Proof Expertise: Our team includes Midnight ZK Pioneers with deep expertise in implementing Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) techniques, which are essential to ensuring privacy and data protection within NuAuth.

Media & Copyright Specialists: We have industry professionals on board with a strong background in media and copyright law. Their knowledge of digital rights management ensures that NuAuth is aligned with industry standards for IP protection and media licensing.

We also won first prize at the Midnight Hackathon at Rare Evo for NuAuth -

https://x.com/nucastio/status/1824983712913633446?s=46&t=ViPsv-qfsWrzHwVx49F2tQ

Strong Partnerships

We have established partnerships with key players in the media industry, such as ETV Network, which reaches millions of consumers daily. These relationships position NuAuth for rapid adoption and scalability. Our discussions with ETV regarding the Nucast platform and Cardano demonstrate the feasibility of large-scale media collaborations.

Proven Track Record

Our team has a history of delivering complex blockchain solutions that are recognized for their innovation and impact. We have successfully deployed blockchain-based projects that required meticulous planning and robust technical execution.

For more details on our previous work: https://www.nucastlabs.xyz/

Community Engagement

We are active contributors to the Cardano community, regularly sharing insights, updates, and contributions that align with the ecosystem's growth and values. This deep involvement demonstrates our commitment to the success of both NuAuth and the broader Cardano network.

Budgeting and Financial Reporting

We will maintain transparency in our budgeting, adhering to Catalyst guidelines. Regular financial updates, including progress reports, milestones, and challenges, will be shared with the Cardano community through forums and social media channels. We will actively seek and incorporate community feedback throughout the development process.

Partnerships and Collaborations:

We have worked closely with key players in the Cardano ecosystem, including NMKR, NEWM, Cardano Foundation, Rare Evo, Midnight Team, Iagon, and more, to collaboratively deliver impactful solutions. These partnerships have been instrumental in ensuring our projects are well-positioned for widespread adoption and scalability across the ecosystem, enhancing both their reach and overall impact.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Project Initiation & SRS (Software Requirements Specification)

Milestone Outputs

Creation of a Software Requirements Specification (SRS) document outlining functional and non-functional requirements.

Technical feasibility study for ZK-proof architecture.

Project plan with timelines and identified risks.

Acceptance Criteria

SRS prepared by the development and management teams.

Feasibility study confirms technical viability for ZK-verified content stamping and licensing automation.

Finalized risk register with mitigation strategies.

Evidence of Completion

Approved SRS stored in the project repository.

Completed feasibility report in SRS document.

Project plan and timeline in SRS document.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

20000

Progress

30 %

Milestone Title

Technical Design & Prototyping

Milestone Outputs

High-level architecture diagrams and detailed technical design documentation.

Development of core platform modules:

• Decentralized IP repository
• ZK content stamping
• Licensing smart contracts
• Sandbox/testnet environment for internal testing.

Acceptance Criteria

Technical design documents reviewed and approved.

Internal tests confirm correct operation of core features.

The sandbox environment demonstrates the basic workflow for IP registration and verification.

Evidence of Completion

Finalized Technical Design Document (TDD).

Testnet transaction hashes and logs.

Internal demonstration video or walkthrough.

Delivery Month

2

Cost

20000

Progress

60 %

Milestone Title

Project Closure

Milestone Outputs

Final project report summarizing achievements, lessons learned, and next steps.

Documentation for all developed components, usage, and guidelines.

Public release of open-source code under MIT License.

Acceptance Criteria

All documentation completed and publicly accessible in Github repository.

Open-source repository published and functional.

The closure report and video prepared according to catalyst PCV and PCR requirments.

Evidence of Completion

Public GitHub repository with code and documentation.

Published project closure report and project closure video.

Delivery Month

5

Cost

30000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Milestone 1: Project Initiation & SRS

Project Manager – 8,000 ADA

Senior Cardano Developer – 8,000 ADA

Operational & Research Costs – 4,000 ADA

Milestone 2: Technical Design & Development

Project Manager – 5,000 ADA

Senior Cardano Developer(s) – 15,000 ADA

Milestone 3: Project Closure

Project Manager – 8,000 ADA

Junior Developer - 7000 ADA

Senior Cardano Developer – 15,000 ADA

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

NuAuth represents strong value for the Cardano ecosystem by delivering an innovative, decentralized IP management solution with far-reaching impact. Our project costs are carefully calculated using industry-standard freelance rates, ensuring fair team compensation while maximizing efficiency.

Our requested budget covers:

• Core development & integration: Building the protocol, verification layer, and licensing marketplace.
• Community engagement: Onboarding creators, AI developers, and Cardano-native projects to drive adoption.

The impact of NuAuth extends well beyond the initial funding period:

• Increased adoption by creators, AI developers, and media companies seeking verified data.
• Partnership opportunities with enterprises and governments that require secure IP and authenticity frameworks.
• Demonstration of Cardano’s strengths, showcasing advanced privacy, scalability, and interoperability.
• Ecosystem growth by strengthening trust in AI training data, intellectual property, and digital content.

By funding NuAuth, the Cardano ecosystem secures:

• A public good protocol that positions Cardano as the chain of choice for IP and AI use cases.
• Multiplicative impact, where each verified piece of content and license generates recurring value without additional cost.
• Sustainable economics through royalties and licensing fees flowing directly via Cardano, boosting transaction volume.
• Global visibility by placing Cardano at the forefront of digital rights, misinformation defense, and AI ethics.

Compared to proprietary industry solutions which are typically very expensive NuAuth delivers an open, community-first system at a fraction of the cost, while directly expanding Cardano’s adoption in media, creative, and AI sectors.

NuAuth is not just a project but an ecosystem-level investment with compounding returns for Cardano, creating infrastructure that continues to generate value long after the initial funding.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes