Are zero knowledge proofs alternative private key encryption? Are they the alternative to private keys. If I understand correctly, because of the increasing computational power in today's world, zero knowledge proofs are more safe than private keys ?
Are these two things connected in the way I understood it, or is my understanding a bit off?
I'm not sure about what you mean for &quot;more safe&quot;. A probable link between these notions exists when we consider a context/application: suppose we need a secure identification scheme; the adversary is listening to the channel between the identifier and the identity-server. By considering this context, we can say that an identification scheme based on a zero-knowledge proof withstands adversary attacks: eavesdrop, man-in-the-middle, replay, etc.
In this given context, an identification scheme based on private keys will fail: a secure channel is always a prerequisite to exchange private keys. Even if the private key is unconditionally unbreakable for any computational power: the adversary can tap it if no private channel exists.