human.tech released the Clean SDK on July 21, 2026, a developer toolkit that builds privacy and sanctions screening directly into web3 applications. The kit launched alongside Aztec’s v5 upgrade and shipped with Shield, its first live application.
Key Takeaways
- human.tech launched the Clean SDK, a toolkit that adds identity checks and sanctions screening to web3 applications.
- Proof of Innocence screens wallets and funds against 23 sanctions sources at both deposit and withdrawal.
- Shield, the first app on the SDK, lets users and AI agents bridge assets between Ethereum and Aztec privately.
- Shady El Damaty, co-founder of human.tech, said the toolkit removes the forced choice between privacy and accountability.
- Nethermind audited Shield’s contracts in May 2026, with all flagged issues resolved.
What Happened?
human.tech, a privacy-first digital identity company that pairs cryptographic verification with wallet technology, released the Clean SDK for developers building on Aztec. The toolkit lets applications confirm that users are real, unique people and that their funds are clean, without collecting or storing personal data.
The release lands with Aztec’s v5, the privacy network the SDK is built to serve. The toolkit packages identity checks, sanctions compliance rules, and the zero-knowledge proofs plumbing that builders would otherwise assemble on their own.
human.tech frames the kit as an answer to a long-running web3 tension: privacy tools that shield users also shield bad actors, while compliance tools that catch bad actors expose everyone. The company says the Clean SDK lets an application prove a user is legitimate and their funds are screened while the identity behind the wallet stays private.
https://t.co/n4jePTOw9D has launched the Clean SDK, a toolkit that adds zero-knowledge identity checks and sanctions screening to web3 apps.
— CoinLaw (@coinlaw_io) July 21, 2026
It debuts alongside Aztec v5 with Shield, a private Ethereum-to-Aztec bridge built for both users and AI agents.@humntech pic.twitter.com/CaN5mKKOeL
Three proofs handle identity, personhood, and sanctions
The Clean SDK ships with three verification layers, each tuned to a different check. Proof of Innocence screens wallets and deposited funds against 23 sanctions sources, applied when funds enter and again when they leave, so a wallet is rechecked at withdrawal. Proof of Personhood runs a lightweight check through Human Passport to confirm one real person per account. Proof of Clean Hands adds a higher-assurance tier, using zero-knowledge government identity credentials for larger transactions.
Each check produces a cryptographic proof, and identity data stays encrypted off-chain. The company describes a gated disclosure mechanism it says is meant only for legitimate legal requests.
Shield bridges Ethereum to Aztec as the first live build
Shield, the first application built on the Clean SDK, is a bridge that moves assets from Ethereum into Aztec while proving each transfer comes from a screened, unique human. Users and autonomous AI agents can move funds through the cross-chain bridge activity without revealing who they are, with sanctions checks applied on the way in and the way out.
Nethermind, the security firm, independently audited Shield’s contracts in May 2026, and human.tech said all flagged issues were resolved.
Shady El Damaty, co-founder of human.tech, who said the toolkit removes that tradeoff and that Shield is a first step toward a wider set of applications on the same base.
human.tech positions the SDK for decentralized finance, autonomous agents, and institutional services that need programmable privacy, a segment where custody and compliance rules have kept many firms on the sidelines. For developers already building on Aztec, the practical question is whether to swap self-built identity and screening code for the SDK’s proofs; the audit covers Shield’s contracts, not every downstream integration, so teams would still review their own use.
CoinLaw’s Takeaway
The design choice that matters most is where the screening sits. Screening funds at withdrawal as well as deposit closes the gap that lets a clean wallet turn dirty after a one-time check, and it is the part that separates this from onboarding-only tools. Keeping identity data encrypted off-chain, with disclosure gated to legal requests, is the assurance institutions have asked for before committing to on-chain privacy products.
The harder question is adoption. A toolkit only matters if builders ship with it, and Shield is currently the sole live example. The autonomous agent framing raises a further test: a system built to prove a unique human is behind every transfer sits awkwardly beside a design meant to also serve AI agents, and how human.tech reconciles those two claims will shape whether the compliance case holds under real volume.
