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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →No: Polygon zkEVM did not make ordinary blockchain transactions private by default. Its zero-knowledge proofs were used to verify that batches of transactions were executed correctly, not to conceal the transactions themselves. There is also an important current-status change: Polygon zkEVM Mainnet Beta was sunset on July 3, 2026. Polygon’s newer private-payment offering is a separate wallet-level service, not a privacy mode for zkEVM.
What Polygon zkEVM was—and what it was not
Polygon zkEVM was an Ethereum Layer 2 designed to scale Ethereum while supporting Ethereum-style execution and developer tooling. In broad terms, users submitted signed transactions through an RPC endpoint; a sequencer ordered and executed them; a prover generated a validity proof for the resulting state transition; and Ethereum-facing contracts verified the proof. Polygon’s transaction-flow documentation describes the submission and sequencer stages.
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That architecture made zkEVM a scaling system, not a privacy blockchain. It is distinct from Polygon PoS, Polygon CDK chains, and privacy systems built around shielded balances or encrypted application state. Nor should the former zkEVM Mainnet Beta be confused with Polygon products or networks that may remain available.
Zero-knowledge proofs do not automatically hide transactions
“Zero-knowledge” describes a way to prove that a statement is true without revealing every detail used to prove it. In a validity rollup, the statement is essentially that a batch followed the protocol rules and produced a valid state transition. The proof protects the integrity of that computation and lets a verifier avoid re-executing every Layer 2 transaction.
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That is different from transaction confidentiality. A validity proof does not, by itself, encrypt a user’s address, transaction amount, contract call, or resulting state. A useful distinction is: a proof can show that a ledger calculation was correct; it does not put the ledger in a locked room.
| Concept | What it means | Polygon zkEVM relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Validity proof | Proves a computation or state transition followed protocol rules. | A core part of zkEVM scaling. |
| Data compression | Reduces the cost or size of information handled by the rollup. | Supports rollup economics; it is not secrecy. |
| Data availability | Ensures users can obtain enough information to reconstruct state. | Important to rollup operation and recovery, but not equivalent to private execution. |
| Transaction confidentiality | Conceals details such as sender, recipient, amount, or application state from specified observers. | Not provided by default. |
| Selective disclosure | Lets a user reveal certain information to an approved party. | A separate privacy-system capability, not a default zkEVM feature. |
What users and observers could still learn
Polygon zkEVM did not provide default shielded accounts or encrypted private state. Depending on the transaction, application, and data path, public records and indexing services could expose or help reconstruct wallet addresses, token transfers, contract interactions, balances, application state, timing, and other transaction metadata. The exact visibility varied; it would be too broad to claim that every datum was always visible in every case.
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Privacy also extends beyond what is written on-chain. RPC providers can observe requests, wallets and applications may hold telemetry or logs, and bridges, exchanges, and public funding sources can connect activity across networks. Polygon’s Unified Bridge documentation describes bridge components such as contracts, messages, exit trees, and indexing. Those components create additional points to consider when tracing asset movement.
A privacy layer can reduce public visibility without erasing every clue. Deposit and withdrawal timing, reused addresses, distinctive transaction patterns, small anonymity sets, and off-chain records may still make activity easier to link. A private transaction sent through an ordinary wallet or RPC can also disclose information to that service even if the public chain does not show the same details.
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- Smart backup: Use your second Tangem Wallet as your Backup keys with end‑to‑end encryption; no more papers, pictures. If one card is lost, the remaining can still restore full access, with an optional seed phrase available for advanced users.
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Can a developer make a private app on a public zkEVM?
Potentially, but deploying a conventional smart contract on a public zkEVM does not make the contract private. A developer would need a separate privacy design, potentially including shielded deposits and withdrawals, commitments and nullifiers, encrypted notes or balances, private keys and viewing keys, and logic to prevent double spending. Depending on the use case, the design may also need relayers or fee abstraction, selective disclosure, compliance screening, and defenses against timing or interaction-pattern leaks.
Privacy is a system property, not a label supplied by a proof. Developers need to evaluate what each participant can observe: the public, wallet provider, RPC provider, application, relayer, compliance provider, counterparty, and any party able to access a viewing key. They also need to assess contract security, key management, data availability, liquidity, and how deposits and withdrawals might be linked.
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Polygon zkEVM Mainnet Beta has been discontinued
Polygon says the Polygon zkEVM Mainnet Beta sequencer was sunset on July 3, 2026; the network no longer produces blocks, and withdrawals through the Agglayer Bridge can no longer be processed. Its zkEVM status and claims page says the claims interface is scheduled to remain available through December 31, 2027. Do not treat old chain IDs, RPC settings, bridge walkthroughs, or wallet tutorials as current instructions for using the network.
Important recovery distinction: Polygon says assets held directly by a self-custodied externally owned account (EOA) may be recoverable through its claims interface. Assets locked inside smart contracts—including DeFi positions, multisigs, and third-party bridge contracts—cannot be recovered through that interface.
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How to approach a claim
- Check whether the assets were held in a self-custodied EOA at the July 3, 2026 sunset.
- Open Polygon’s official zkEVM status page and use the claims interface linked there.
- Connect the wallet that held the assets and review the claimable assets and Ethereum destination shown by the interface.
- Only sign and submit a claim you have reviewed and understand. Never share a seed phrase or private key to claim assets.
- If assets were inside a contract, contact the relevant protocol or contract operator; the Polygon claims interface does not recover those funds.
- Plan to complete eligible claims well before the stated December 31, 2027 availability end date.
Polygon’s newer private-payment feature is separate
Polygon announced private payments through the Polygon wallet in partnership with Hinkal on May 4, 2026. Polygon says the flow uses zero-knowledge proofs to keep the sender, recipient, and amount from ordinary on-chain observers for supported transfers, initially USDC and USDT. The announcement attributes the privacy technology to Hinkal and says transfers undergo KYT (know-your-transaction) screening before execution. See Polygon’s private-payments announcement.
This is a wallet- and protocol-level service on the Polygon network, not a feature of Polygon zkEVM Mainnet Beta. Polygon describes the service as non-custodial, but that description is not an independent security assessment. Users and businesses should evaluate the relevant contracts, audits, operational security, availability, supported assets, jurisdictions, and terms. Polygon’s announcement also disclaims responsibility for Hinkal’s technology, compliance posture, and performance.
“Private” here should be read as reduced visibility to ordinary on-chain observers, not guaranteed anonymity. A wallet, device, application, RPC provider, screening system, or network provider may still learn information. Timing, funding sources, withdrawals, repeated behavior, and external records may allow activity to be linked. Polygon’s description of KYT screening and potential compliance controls is materially different from a promise that no third party can identify or review a transfer.
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| Option | Potential fit | Important trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Polygon wallet private payments via Hinkal | Confidential supported stablecoin transfers within the Polygon ecosystem. | Third-party protocol dependency, supported-asset and jurisdiction limits, screening, and possible metadata leakage. Capabilities described here are Polygon’s claims in its announcement. |
| Railgun | A shielded privacy layer that describes support for Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, and Arbitrum. | Anonymity-set size, deposit and withdrawal linkability, varying DeFi compatibility, and contract or governance risk. See the Railgun Wiki. |
| Aztec | Developers exploring privacy-oriented smart contracts and private state. | It is not EVM-compatible and uses a different execution and tooling model. Aztec documentation warns that its stack is under active development and should not be used with meaningful secrets on test networks. See Aztec documentation and its limitations. |
| Custom privacy application or chain | Teams needing application-specific execution, privacy, and compliance design. | Higher engineering and audit burden, harder liquidity bootstrapping, and additional bridge, sequencer, data-availability, and wallet risks. |
These are not interchangeable products. Before choosing one, identify what must be hidden—sender, recipient, amount, calldata, balances, or application state—and from whom. Then assess whether the system offers selective disclosure, which parties retain access to data, how keys are managed, whether deposits and withdrawals can be linked, and whether the system is live or still experimental. A privacy feature can improve one part of the transaction path while leaving other parts observable.
Bottom line for users and developers
Polygon zkEVM used zero-knowledge proofs to scale and verify Ethereum-style execution; it was not a private blockchain by default. Its Mainnet Beta is discontinued, with asset recovery limited by whether funds were held in an EOA or inside a smart contract. Polygon’s Hinkal-powered private payments are a separate offering for supported transfers, with screening and third-party dependencies. Choose a privacy system by its actual data flow and trust assumptions—not by the words “zero-knowledge” alone.
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