What is Humanity Protocol?

Humanity Protocol is a zero-knowledge EVM-compatible Layer 2 that aims to solve the digital identity crisis posed by issues such as the growth of bot sophistication and deepfake content.

Humanity Protocol leverages blockchain with non-invasive biometrics data to create its “Proof-of-Humanity” (PoH). PoH serves as a verification system in digital networks without the need to repeatedly divulge sensitive or personal information.

This approach to ID verification offers a modern, decentralized, and efficient approach to identification management in an increasingly digital world and can also mitigate crypto-specific issues like sybil attacks and fraud scams.

Humanity Protocol raised $31.5 million in funding in 2024, and is led by its CEO and Founder Terrence Kwok, and features advisors such as the founder of Animoca Brands, Yat Siu, and Sandeep Nailwal, the co-founder of Polygon.

How Does Humanity Protocol Work?

The protocol leverages zero-knowledge proofs to ensure that user-data can remain secure throughout the verification process. For its biometrics data, Humanity Protocol utilizes palm scanning technology, which provides a more accurate biometrics sample than a fingerprint, but is less invasive than alternatives such as facial or iris recognition.

Through its biometric verification and zero-knowledge proofs, Humanity Protocol uses these to create decentralized identifiers, or DIDs, and verifiable credentials, or VCs, to empower its users with privacy and security onchain.

DID Verification

PoH integration can prevent issues and create new use cases in everyday technology as well as onchain financial rails.

Onchain integration can mitigate a slew of issues such as projects faking user data, airdrop sybil attacks, and other manipulative tactics used in markets. PoH can also make for a fairer environment in onchain games, DAO governance, and tamperless know-your-customer (KYC) verification which all can be manipulated in their current states.

Humanity Protocol may also allow for current sectors within DeFi to continue to scale. Real-world assets (RWAs) are one of the hottest markets within crypto at the moment, and PoH could potentially make on-chain ownership more provable in traditional settings. This could open up both on and offchain use cases for RWAs, which would allow the sector to continue to flourish.

Humanity Protocol Testnet

Humanity Protocol recently launched its testnet, which began with the “Human ID Reservation”, which opened on September 30, received over 130,000 unique ID nicknames within its first week, and reported nearly 500,000 testnet users as of Oct 31.

After the ID reservation period, enrollment will open up for users through the HP app, which will enable users to attest their humanity by scanning their palms through their mobile devices.The final phase of the testnet rollout will feature palm vein verification, to begin biometric onboarding of testnet users.

Summary

Humanity Protocol combines blockchain, artificial intelligence, and biometrics to create a reliable and immutable system for verification, or Proof-of-Humanity. Provable PoH enables a safer and more reliable digital economy in both financial markets, or traditional digital systems such as video games, authentication, DePIN, or even ID authentication.

The team touts a testnet with over 300,000 users, who are preparing to use Humanity’s biometric verification system to begin interacting in new systems that may be able to provide a fair and secure identification system to onchain economies