Can an API be paid without building a profile of its user?
zkAPI separates metered API payments from the billing identity behind individual requests.
Source publication: 2026-10-01. CoinPressroom edition: 7 October 2026. This is an attributed briefing, not independent verification of the source’s claims.
The announcement
An Ethereum Foundation post dated 1 October describes zkAPI, developed with the Open Anonymity Project, as live on Ethereum mainnet. Its design uses funded notes and zero-knowledge proofs to authorise limited API usage without exposing the deposit behind each spend. This is the project’s published account, not independent testing by CoinPressroom.
What privacy means here
The distinction is between payment identity and request content. The service provider still sees the request, and network metadata or repeated personal details can allow correlation. Removing a billing link is not the same as making every interaction anonymous.
What to inspect
For an integration, examine the vault, withdrawal path, client software and mode of operation. A proxy that relays requests has different visibility from a design that sends content directly to the provider. Evaluate each boundary separately instead of treating “private” as a single property.
Keep the evidence in view.
blog.ethereum.org — source & further reading ↗Checked for this edition on 7 October 2026. Examples are illustrative unless stated otherwise. Read our editorial standards.
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