Mid-N1ght Vault

A privacy-first DigiLocker for anonymous, metadata-proof file sharing—scrub, encrypt, and share files with verifiable privacy on the Midnight blockchain

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Inspiration

I was inspired by the urgent need for privacy in digital file sharing. Too many people unknowingly leak sensitive metadata (like GPS, device info, and author) when sharing files. Existing solutions are centralized and don’t guarantee privacy or metadata scrubbing. We wanted to build a tool that not only scrubs hidden leaks, but also proves privacy on-chain—empowering anyone to share files safely and anonymously.

What it does

Midnight Vault lets users upload files, instantly see hidden metadata, scrub it with one click, encrypt the file, and generate a blockchain proof of privacy. Users can then share the cleaned file via anonymous link or QR code, with a verifiable privacy badge on the Midnight blockchain.

How I built it

  • Designed the user flow: upload → metadata extraction → clean → encrypt → blockchain proof → share.
  • Frontend: React for a fast, modern UI.
  • Backend: FastAPI (Python) for file handling, metadata extraction (ExifTool, PyPDF2), cleaning, and encryption.
  • Smart contract: Compact (Midnight) to store file hash proofs on the testnet.
  • Frontend and backend communicate via REST API; backend interacts with the blockchain.

Challenges I ran into

  • Integrating with a new blockchain platform and learning the Midnight toolchain.
  • Handling file uploads and metadata extraction for multiple file types.
  • Managing time and prioritizing features for the MVP.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

  • Built somewhat of a working MVP in under 48 hours.
  • Successfully demonstrated privacy leaks and on-chain proof in a live demo.
  • Designed a scalable architecture for future expansion.
  • Created clear documentation and a demo script for judges.

What have I learnt

  • How to use the Midnight blockchain and zero-knowledge proofs for privacy.
  • Building a full-stack DApp with React and FastAPI.
  • The importance of clear documentation and demo flow for hackathons.

What's next for Mid-N1ght Vault

  • Add support for more file types and advanced metadata cleaning.
  • Integrate distributed storage (IPFS/Arweave) for encrypted files.
  • Build a Vault dashboard for managing uploaded files and proofs.
  • Add advanced access control, link expiry, and right to forget features.
  • Expand to enterprise and government use cases for privacy-first document workflows.

Note: Since I was facing some issues with uploading the video, so the video can be found in the Gdrive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1t3LKefV0Lat_uAitKquTPzMbi7rvK4QE?usp=sharing

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