Crescent library brings privacy to digital identity systems

TL;DR

• Crescent library from Microsoft Research aims to improve privacy in digital identity systems. source
• It prevents tracking across uses and lets users disclose only what’s necessary from their credentials.
• The solution targets privacy-preserving identity workflows for developers and enterprises.
• The article highlights Crescent as a tool to enhance user privacy without sacrificing credential utility.

Context and background

Digital identity systems increasingly balance the need to verify credentials with user privacy. The Crescent library described by Microsoft Research focuses on reducing cross-use tracking while preserving the ability to disclose essential credential information. By combining privacy-aware design with selective disclosure, Crescent aims to support workflows where users can prove attributes without revealing unnecessary data across multiple interactions. This approach aligns with broader trends in privacy-preserving identity technologies that seek to minimize data exposure while maintaining verifiability.

What’s new

Crescent library brings privacy to digital identity systems by introducing mechanisms that prevent tracking across uses and enable selective disclosure of credential data. The library is positioned as a privacy-focused tool for building digital identity experiences where user privacy is a core consideration, rather than an afterthought. The MSR publication presents Crescent as an approach to address privacy concerns inherent in traditional identity workflows while maintaining credential usefulness across applications.

Why it matters (impact for developers/enterprises)

For developers and enterprises building identity platforms, Crescent offers a path to integrate privacy-preserving capabilities directly into credential workflows. By reducing the ability to track users across different services and enabling disclosure of only the necessary credential attributes, Crescent can help organizations address user privacy expectations and potential regulatory considerations without sacrificing the ability to verify credentials.

Technical details or Implementation

The current description of Crescent emphasizes two core capabilities:

• Preventing tracking across uses: the library is designed to minimize cross-service tracing of a single user’s credential interactions.
• Selective disclosure: users can reveal only the portions of their credentials that are strictly necessary for a given verification scenario. Details on specific cryptographic primitives, integration points, or programming interfaces are not provided in the available excerpt. For developers interested in practical integration avenues, the Microsoft Research blog post provides the primary reference and link to learn more.

Key takeaways

• Crescent aims to enhance privacy in digital identity systems by curbing cross-use tracking.
• It supports selective disclosure of credential data to protect user privacy.
• The library targets privacy-preserving identity workflows suitable for modern applications.
• Adoption could help developers and enterprises address privacy expectations while maintaining credential verifiability.
• The primary reference for Crescent is the Microsoft Research blog post.

References

• https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/crescent-library-brings-privacy-to-digital-identity-systems/