The EU actually was working on a system described above based on some sort of zero knowledge proof (so verification via your gov’t id, but without the verifying party being able to assert anything other than age > 18 or whatever data you want to verify)

Unless you are talking about a future where the surveillance state has outlawed basic privacy your statement is just straight false. Sure they are getting there with backdoors in encryption etc, but we’re not quite there yet.

Just because criminals value their privacy doesn’t mean that everyone that values their privacy is a criminal.