The ACM Web Conference 2026 Workshop
ZABAPAD
The ACM Web Conference 2026 Workshop on
Zero-knowledge proof And Blockchain for WEB 4.0:
Advancing the Post-quantum And Decentralized era
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Date: 2026-04-13 or 14
News
[2025-10-20] Our workshop proposal is being reviewed by the chair.
[2025-11-10] Our workshop has been accepted!
[2025-12-12] ACM Policy has been updated. Potential authors should check the "(Optional) Author Costs for ACM Proceedings" section below.
[2025-12-20] Short paper submission guideline has been updated. For short papers, self-contained main sections are allowed up to 4 pages, and references and appendix are allowed up to 2 additional pages.
[2025-12-28] Extra Time! The submission deadline has been extended by 27 hours.
[2026-01-13] Paper notification has been released. Thank you all for your contributions! (We will inform you about the camera-ready version later.)
Introduction
As the Web moves toward user-sovereign identity, data, and digital assets, zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) and blockchain provide the cryptographic substrate to “verify without reveal” and “coordinate without a central intermediary.” At the same time, practical advances in quantum computing put pressure on existing primitives, turning post-quantum transition from a niche cryptography topic into an urgent systems and deployment concern.
ZABAPAD sits squarely at this intersection but does not restrict itself to the Web domain. Topics include Web-native and non-Web authentication, ZK-based identity and account abstraction, privacy-preserving data flows and analytics, Layer-2 proving and verification services, trusted execution and verifiable compute, and quantum-resistant migration strategies for protocols, ledgers, and applications. We also welcome work that advances privacy, verifiability, and decentralization across sectors—finance, mobility, healthcare, public services, supply chain, IoT/edge, AI/ML (including ZKML), and beyond. ZABAPAD aims to bring together cryptography, systems, hardware, and standards communities to surface methods, deployments, and policy/standardization needs that can carry us into the post-quantum, decentralized era—including but not limited to the coming Web 4.0.
ZABAPAD is designed to complement The Web Conference’s breadth while expanding its application horizon: we emphasize interoperability, standardization, and reproducible benchmarks, and we actively seek case studies and implementations from any industry where verifiable privacy and decentralization matter. Our goal is to catalyze collaborations that translate cutting-edge proof systems and decentralized infrastructure into real-world deployments—on the Web and far beyond it.
Call for Papers
We solicit novel, unpublished work addressing theoretical and practical aspects of zero-knowledge proofs, blockchain, and post-quantum cryptography in a decentralized context. Topics include, but are not limited to:
※ Topics of Interest
Web 4.0 paradigms and decentralized architectures
Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) applications for enhanced privacy and scalability
Blockchain technology innovations, protocols, and consensus mechanisms
Smart contract security, verification, and novel application designs
Artificial Intelligence of Things(AIoT) integration with decentralized systems and verifiable computation
Web-native and non-Web authentication systems
Privacy-preserving data flows and analytics
Layer-2 proving and verification services
Quantum-resistant migration strategies for protocols, ledgers, and applications
Case studies and implementations in finance, mobility, healthcare, supply chain, public services, and other relevant sectors
※ Format
Submissions must be in English, in double-column format, and must adhere to the ACM template and format (also available in Overleaf).
Reviews are double-blind, and submissions must not contain any author or affiliation information.
※ Types
1. Extended Abstract: 2 pages in length, including references
2. Short Paper: 4 pages as self-contained main paper, with additional pages for references and an optional appendix, up to a maximum of 6 pages in total
3. Full Paper: 8 pages as self-contained main paper, with additional pages for references and an optional appendix, up to a maximum of 10 pages in total
※ Submission Site
Submit via OpenReview
※ Deadline
2025-12-29 23:59 in Anywhere on Earth (AoE) time zone
The deadline has been extended from 2025-12-18.
※ Note
At least one author of an accepted paper should be registered with the ACM Web Conference 2026.
※ (Optional) Author Costs for ACM Proceedings
Papers accepted by a workshop "can" be included in the Companion Proceedings of the Web Conference 2026, subject to meeting the camera-ready timeline. This is entirely up to the author's choice.
Authors wishing to have their papers published in Companion Proceedings "may" be required to pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) for their accepted papers. The typical APC ranges from $250-$350 per paper, depending on membership status and other factors. If your affiliation is one of the 2,700+ institutions participating in ACM Open, your publication fee may be waived.
You can find more details about the policy here: ACM APC Policy
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Paper Submission | 2025-12-29 23:59 (AoE) |
| Paper Notification | 2026-01-13 |
| Camera Ready | 2026-02-02 |
| Workshop | 2026-04-13 or 14 |
Program (Tentative)
The order of speakers' presentations is currently randomly arranged and will be confirmed later.
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00 – 09:20 (20 min) | Opening Remarks - Shiho Kim @ Yonsei University |
| 09:20 – 09:50 (30 min) | Invited Talk and Q&A 1 - Hongyang Zhang @ University of Waterloo |
| 09:50 – 10:20 (30 min) | Invited Talk and Q&A 2 - Davor Svetinovic @ Khalifa University |
| 10:20 – 11:00 (40 min) | Poster Session and Discussion with Coffee Break |
| 11:00 – 11:30 (30 min) | Oral and Spotlight Paper Presentation |
| 11:30 – 12:00 (30 min) | Invited Talk and Q&A 3 - Nojan Sheybani @ Nexus |
| 12:00 – 12:30 (30 min) | Invited Talk and Q&A 4 - Khaled Salah @ Khalifa University |
| 12:30 – 12:35 (5 min) | Closing Remarks |
Speakers
Organizers
Program Committee
JeongGil Ko (Chair) @ Yonsei University Personal Website
Yagiz Nalcakan (Chair) @ Yonsei University Personal Website
Rojeena Bajracharya @ Mälardalen University Personal Website
Hasan Heydari @ Universidade de Lisboa Personal Website
Shraddha M. Naik @ Khalifa University Personal Website
Huned Materwala @ ALPHA Augmented Services Personal Website
Vennela Subramanyam @ Google (Participate as an individual) Personal Website
Phani Rohitha Kaza @ Microsoft Personal Website
Manan Mehta @ OpenAI Personal Website
Jun-yong Lee @ Yonsei University Personal Website
Jeihee Cho @ Yonsei University Personal Website
Kichang Lee @ Yonsei University Personal Website
Il Bae @ SK Telecom
Hyunbin Park @ Samsung Electronics
Junekyo Jhung @ Samsung Research
Taewoo Kim @ Samsung Electronics
Hyung-Joo Moon @ Yonsei University
Giwoong Kim @ Yonsei University
Danyung Kyung @ Yonsei University
Euimin Lee @ Yonsei University
Contact
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Institute of Information & communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP) grant funded by the Korea government(MSIT) (RS-2025-02218237, Development of Digital Innovative Technologies for Enhancing the Safety of Complex Autonomous Mobility)