diff --git a/src/components/DisplaySigit/index.tsx b/src/components/DisplaySigit/index.tsx
index 0fe5c2f..ce82f47 100644
--- a/src/components/DisplaySigit/index.tsx
+++ b/src/components/DisplaySigit/index.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
-import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
-import { Meta, ProfileMetadata } from '../../types'
+import { Meta } from '../../types'
 import { SigitCardDisplayInfo, SigitStatus } from '../../utils'
-import { Event, kinds } from 'nostr-tools'
 import { Link } from 'react-router-dom'
-import { MetadataController } from '../../controllers'
 import { formatTimestamp, hexToNpub, npubToHex, shorten } from '../../utils'
 import { appPublicRoutes, appPrivateRoutes } from '../../routes'
 import { Button, Divider, Tooltip } from '@mui/material'
@@ -22,6 +19,7 @@ import { UserAvatarGroup } from '../UserAvatarGroup'
 import styles from './style.module.scss'
 import { TooltipChild } from '../TooltipChild'
 import { getExtensionIconLabel } from '../getExtensionIconLabel'
+import { useSigitProfiles } from '../../hooks/useSigitProfiles'
 
 type SigitProps = {
   meta: Meta
@@ -38,61 +36,10 @@ export const DisplaySigit = ({ meta, parsedMeta }: SigitProps) => {
     fileExtensions
   } = parsedMeta
 
-  const [profiles, setProfiles] = useState<{ [key: string]: ProfileMetadata }>(
-    {}
-  )
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    const hexKeys = new Set<string>([
-      ...signers.map((signer) => npubToHex(signer)!)
-    ])
-
-    if (submittedBy) {
-      hexKeys.add(npubToHex(submittedBy)!)
-    }
-
-    const metadataController = new MetadataController()
-
-    const handleMetadataEvent = (key: string) => (event: Event) => {
-      const metadataContent =
-        metadataController.extractProfileMetadataContent(event)
-
-      if (metadataContent) {
-        setProfiles((prev) => ({
-          ...prev,
-          [key]: metadataContent
-        }))
-      }
-    }
-
-    const handleEventListener =
-      (key: string) => (kind: number, event: Event) => {
-        if (kind === kinds.Metadata) {
-          handleMetadataEvent(key)(event)
-        }
-      }
-
-    hexKeys.forEach((key) => {
-      if (!(key in profiles)) {
-        metadataController.on(key, handleEventListener(key))
-
-        metadataController
-          .findMetadata(key)
-          .then((metadataEvent) => {
-            if (metadataEvent) handleMetadataEvent(key)(metadataEvent)
-          })
-          .catch((err) => {
-            console.error(`error occurred in finding metadata for: ${key}`, err)
-          })
-      }
-    })
-
-    return () => {
-      hexKeys.forEach((key) => {
-        metadataController.off(key, handleEventListener(key))
-      })
-    }
-  }, [submittedBy, signers, profiles])
+  const profiles = useSigitProfiles([
+    ...(submittedBy ? [submittedBy] : []),
+    ...signers
+  ])
 
   return (
     <div className={styles.itemWrapper}>
diff --git a/src/hooks/useSigitMeta.tsx b/src/hooks/useSigitMeta.tsx
index aebd791..5460983 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useSigitMeta.tsx
+++ b/src/hooks/useSigitMeta.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { CreateSignatureEventContent, Meta } from '../types'
 import { Mark } from '../types/mark'
 import {
   fromUnixTimestamp,
+  hexToNpub,
   parseCreateSignatureEvent,
   parseCreateSignatureEventContent,
   SigitMetaParseError,
@@ -12,11 +13,30 @@ import {
 import { toast } from 'react-toastify'
 import { verifyEvent } from 'nostr-tools'
 import { Event } from 'nostr-tools'
+import store from '../store/store'
+import { AuthState } from '../store/auth/types'
+import { NostrController } from '../controllers'
+
+/**
+ * Flattened interface that combines properties `Meta`, `CreateSignatureEventContent`,
+ * and `Event` (event's fields are made optional and pubkey and created_at replaced with our versions)
+ */
+interface FlatMeta
+  extends Meta,
+    CreateSignatureEventContent,
+    Partial<Omit<Event, 'pubkey' | 'created_at'>> {
+  // Remove pubkey and use submittedBy as `npub1${string}`
+  submittedBy?: `npub1${string}`
+
+  // Remove created_at and replace with createdAt
+  createdAt?: number
 
-interface FlatMeta extends Meta, CreateSignatureEventContent, Partial<Event> {
   // Validated create signature event
   isValid: boolean
 
+  // Decryption
+  encryptionKey: string | null
+
   // Calculated status fields
   signedStatus: SigitStatus
   signersStatus: {
@@ -33,8 +53,8 @@ export const useSigitMeta = (meta: Meta): FlatMeta => {
   const [isValid, setIsValid] = useState(false)
   const [kind, setKind] = useState<number>()
   const [tags, setTags] = useState<string[][]>()
-  const [created_at, setCreatedAt] = useState<number>()
-  const [pubkey, setPubkey] = useState<string>() // submittedBy, pubkey from nostr event
+  const [createdAt, setCreatedAt] = useState<number>()
+  const [submittedBy, setSubmittedBy] = useState<`npub1${string}`>() // submittedBy, pubkey from nostr event
   const [id, setId] = useState<string>()
   const [sig, setSig] = useState<string>()
 
@@ -54,6 +74,8 @@ export const useSigitMeta = (meta: Meta): FlatMeta => {
     [signer: `npub1${string}`]: SignStatus
   }>({})
 
+  const [encryptionKey, setEncryptionKey] = useState<string | null>(null)
+
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!meta) return
     ;(async function () {
@@ -70,7 +92,7 @@ export const useSigitMeta = (meta: Meta): FlatMeta => {
         setTags(tags)
         // created_at in nostr events are stored in seconds
         setCreatedAt(fromUnixTimestamp(created_at))
-        setPubkey(pubkey)
+        setSubmittedBy(pubkey as `npub1${string}`)
         setId(id)
         setSig(sig)
 
@@ -84,6 +106,31 @@ export const useSigitMeta = (meta: Meta): FlatMeta => {
         setMarkConfig(markConfig)
         setZipUrl(zipUrl)
 
+        if (meta.keys) {
+          const { sender, keys } = meta.keys
+
+          // Retrieve the user's public key from the state
+          const usersPubkey = (store.getState().auth as AuthState).usersPubkey!
+          const usersNpub = hexToNpub(usersPubkey)
+
+          // Check if the user's public key is in the keys object
+          if (usersNpub in keys) {
+            // Instantiate the NostrController to decrypt the encryption key
+            const nostrController = NostrController.getInstance()
+            const decrypted = await nostrController
+              .nip04Decrypt(sender, keys[usersNpub])
+              .catch((err) => {
+                console.log(
+                  'An error occurred in decrypting encryption key',
+                  err
+                )
+                return null
+              })
+
+            setEncryptionKey(decrypted)
+          }
+        }
+
         // Parse each signature event and set signer status
         for (const npub in meta.docSignatures) {
           try {
@@ -125,15 +172,15 @@ export const useSigitMeta = (meta: Meta): FlatMeta => {
   }, [meta])
 
   return {
-    modifiedAt: meta.modifiedAt,
-    createSignature: meta.createSignature,
-    docSignatures: meta.docSignatures,
-    keys: meta.keys,
+    modifiedAt: meta?.modifiedAt,
+    createSignature: meta?.createSignature,
+    docSignatures: meta?.docSignatures,
+    keys: meta?.keys,
     isValid,
     kind,
     tags,
-    created_at,
-    pubkey,
+    createdAt,
+    submittedBy,
     id,
     sig,
     signers,
@@ -143,6 +190,7 @@ export const useSigitMeta = (meta: Meta): FlatMeta => {
     title,
     zipUrl,
     signedStatus,
-    signersStatus
+    signersStatus,
+    encryptionKey
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/hooks/useSigitProfiles.tsx b/src/hooks/useSigitProfiles.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8178dd7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hooks/useSigitProfiles.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
+import { ProfileMetadata } from '../types'
+import { MetadataController } from '../controllers'
+import { npubToHex } from '../utils'
+import { Event, kinds } from 'nostr-tools'
+
+/**
+ * Extracts profiles from metadata events
+ * @param pubkeys Array of npubs to check
+ * @returns ProfileMetadata
+ */
+export const useSigitProfiles = (
+  pubkeys: `npub1${string}`[]
+): { [key: string]: ProfileMetadata } => {
+  const [profileMetadata, setProfileMetadata] = useState<{
+    [key: string]: ProfileMetadata
+  }>({})
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (pubkeys.length) {
+      const metadataController = new MetadataController()
+
+      // Remove duplicate keys
+      const users = new Set<string>([...pubkeys])
+
+      const handleMetadataEvent = (key: string) => (event: Event) => {
+        const metadataContent =
+          metadataController.extractProfileMetadataContent(event)
+
+        if (metadataContent) {
+          setProfileMetadata((prev) => ({
+            ...prev,
+            [key]: metadataContent
+          }))
+        }
+      }
+
+      users.forEach((user) => {
+        const hexKey = npubToHex(user)
+        if (hexKey && !(hexKey in profileMetadata)) {
+          metadataController.on(hexKey, (kind: number, event: Event) => {
+            if (kind === kinds.Metadata) {
+              handleMetadataEvent(hexKey)(event)
+            }
+          })
+
+          metadataController
+            .findMetadata(hexKey)
+            .then((metadataEvent) => {
+              if (metadataEvent) handleMetadataEvent(hexKey)(metadataEvent)
+            })
+            .catch((err) => {
+              console.error(
+                `error occurred in finding metadata for: ${user}`,
+                err
+              )
+            })
+        }
+      })
+
+      return () => {
+        users.forEach((key) => {
+          metadataController.off(key, handleMetadataEvent(key))
+        })
+      }
+    }
+  }, [pubkeys, profileMetadata])
+
+  return profileMetadata
+}
diff --git a/src/pages/verify/index.tsx b/src/pages/verify/index.tsx
index 1f6bee1..f77bd48 100644
--- a/src/pages/verify/index.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/verify/index.tsx
@@ -10,22 +10,20 @@ import {
 } from '@mui/material'
 import JSZip from 'jszip'
 import { MuiFileInput } from 'mui-file-input'
-import { Event, kinds, verifyEvent } from 'nostr-tools'
+import { Event, verifyEvent } from 'nostr-tools'
 import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
 import { toast } from 'react-toastify'
 import { LoadingSpinner } from '../../components/LoadingSpinner'
 import { UserAvatar } from '../../components/UserAvatar'
-import { MetadataController, NostrController } from '../../controllers'
+import { NostrController } from '../../controllers'
 import {
   CreateSignatureEventContent,
   Meta,
-  ProfileMetadata,
   SignedEventContent
 } from '../../types'
 import {
   decryptArrayBuffer,
   extractMarksFromSignedMeta,
-  extractZipUrlAndEncryptionKey,
   getHash,
   hexToNpub,
   unixNow,
@@ -51,6 +49,8 @@ import { useSelector } from 'react-redux'
 import { getLastSignersSig } from '../../utils/sign.ts'
 import { saveAs } from 'file-saver'
 import { Container } from '../../components/Container'
+import { useSigitMeta } from '../../hooks/useSigitMeta.tsx'
+import { useSigitProfiles } from '../../hooks/useSigitProfiles.tsx'
 
 export const VerifyPage = () => {
   const theme = useTheme()
@@ -63,52 +63,35 @@ export const VerifyPage = () => {
    * uploadedZip will be received from home page when a user uploads a sigit zip wrapper that contains meta.json
    * meta will be received in navigation from create & home page in online mode
    */
-  const { uploadedZip, meta: metaInNavState } = location.state || {}
+  const { uploadedZip, meta } = location.state || {}
+
+  const { submittedBy, zipUrl, encryptionKey, signers, viewers, fileHashes } =
+    useSigitMeta(meta)
+  const profiles = useSigitProfiles([
+    ...(submittedBy ? [submittedBy] : []),
+    ...signers,
+    ...viewers
+  ])
 
   const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false)
   const [loadingSpinnerDesc, setLoadingSpinnerDesc] = useState('')
 
   const [selectedFile, setSelectedFile] = useState<File | null>(null)
-  const [meta, setMeta] = useState<Meta | null>(null)
 
-  const [submittedBy, setSubmittedBy] = useState<string>()
-
-  const [signers, setSigners] = useState<`npub1${string}`[]>([])
-  const [viewers, setViewers] = useState<`npub1${string}`[]>([])
-  const [creatorFileHashes, setCreatorFileHashes] = useState<{
-    [key: string]: string
-  }>({})
   const [currentFileHashes, setCurrentFileHashes] = useState<{
     [key: string]: string | null
-  }>({})
+  }>(fileHashes)
   const [files, setFiles] = useState<{ [filename: string]: PdfFile }>({})
 
-  const [metadata, setMetadata] = useState<{ [key: string]: ProfileMetadata }>(
-    {}
-  )
   const usersPubkey = useSelector((state: State) => state.auth.usersPubkey)
   const nostrController = NostrController.getInstance()
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (uploadedZip) {
       setSelectedFile(uploadedZip)
-    } else if (metaInNavState) {
+    } else if (meta && encryptionKey) {
       const processSigit = async () => {
         setIsLoading(true)
-        setLoadingSpinnerDesc('Extracting zipUrl and encryption key from meta')
-
-        const res = await extractZipUrlAndEncryptionKey(metaInNavState)
-        if (!res) {
-          setIsLoading(false)
-          return
-        }
-
-        const {
-          zipUrl,
-          encryptionKey,
-          createSignatureEvent,
-          createSignatureContent
-        } = res
 
         setLoadingSpinnerDesc('Fetching file from file server')
         axios
@@ -175,12 +158,6 @@ export const VerifyPage = () => {
               setCurrentFileHashes(fileHashes)
               setFiles(files)
 
-              setSigners(createSignatureContent.signers)
-              setViewers(createSignatureContent.viewers)
-              setCreatorFileHashes(createSignatureContent.fileHashes)
-              setSubmittedBy(createSignatureEvent.pubkey)
-
-              setMeta(metaInNavState)
               setIsLoading(false)
             }
           })
@@ -197,49 +174,7 @@ export const VerifyPage = () => {
 
       processSigit()
     }
-  }, [uploadedZip, metaInNavState])
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (submittedBy) {
-      const metadataController = new MetadataController()
-
-      const users = [submittedBy, ...signers, ...viewers]
-
-      users.forEach((user) => {
-        const pubkey = npubToHex(user)!
-
-        if (!(pubkey in metadata)) {
-          const handleMetadataEvent = (event: Event) => {
-            const metadataContent =
-              metadataController.extractProfileMetadataContent(event)
-            if (metadataContent)
-              setMetadata((prev) => ({
-                ...prev,
-                [pubkey]: metadataContent
-              }))
-          }
-
-          metadataController.on(pubkey, (kind: number, event: Event) => {
-            if (kind === kinds.Metadata) {
-              handleMetadataEvent(event)
-            }
-          })
-
-          metadataController
-            .findMetadata(pubkey)
-            .then((metadataEvent) => {
-              if (metadataEvent) handleMetadataEvent(metadataEvent)
-            })
-            .catch((err) => {
-              console.error(
-                `error occurred in finding metadata for: ${user}`,
-                err
-              )
-            })
-        }
-      })
-    }
-  }, [submittedBy, signers, viewers, metadata])
+  }, [encryptionKey, meta, uploadedZip, zipUrl])
 
   const handleVerify = async () => {
     if (!selectedFile) return
@@ -345,12 +280,6 @@ export const VerifyPage = () => {
 
     if (!createSignatureContent) return
 
-    setSigners(createSignatureContent.signers)
-    setViewers(createSignatureContent.viewers)
-    setCreatorFileHashes(createSignatureContent.fileHashes)
-    setSubmittedBy(createSignatureEvent.pubkey)
-
-    setMeta(parsedMetaJson)
     setIsLoading(false)
   }
 
@@ -451,7 +380,7 @@ export const VerifyPage = () => {
   }
 
   const displayUser = (pubkey: string, verifySignature = false) => {
-    const profile = metadata[pubkey]
+    const profile = profiles[pubkey]
 
     let isValidSignature = false
 
@@ -682,7 +611,7 @@ export const VerifyPage = () => {
                 <Box className={styles.filesWrapper}>
                   {Object.entries(currentFileHashes).map(
                     ([filename, hash], index) => {
-                      const isValidHash = creatorFileHashes[filename] === hash
+                      const isValidHash = fileHashes[filename] === hash
 
                       return (
                         <Box key={`file-${index}`} className={styles.file}>
diff --git a/src/utils/meta.ts b/src/utils/meta.ts
index b3c0c28..74d38b7 100644
--- a/src/utils/meta.ts
+++ b/src/utils/meta.ts
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ export enum SigitMetaParseErrorType {
 export interface SigitCardDisplayInfo {
   createdAt?: number
   title?: string
-  submittedBy?: string
+  submittedBy?: `npub1${string}`
   signers: `npub1${string}`[]
   fileExtensions: string[]
   signedStatus: SigitStatus
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ export const extractSigitCardDisplayInfo = async (meta: Meta) => {
     )
 
     sigitInfo.title = createSignatureContent.title
-    sigitInfo.submittedBy = createSignatureEvent.pubkey
+    sigitInfo.submittedBy = createSignatureEvent.pubkey as `npub1${string}`
     sigitInfo.signers = createSignatureContent.signers
     sigitInfo.fileExtensions = extensions