What is Humanity Protocol (H)?

By CMC AI
20 January 2026 12:38AM (UTC+0)

TLDR

Humanity Protocol (H) is a decentralized identity network using biometric palm scans and zero-knowledge proofs to verify human users in Web3 while preserving privacy.

  1. Privacy-first identity layer – Replaces centralized models with user-controlled credentials

  2. Proof-of-Humanity consensus – Palm biometrics + zkProofs prevent Sybil attacks

  3. Web3 integration – Enables fair airdrops, governance, and reputation systems

Deep Dive

1. Purpose & Value Proposition

Humanity Protocol addresses Web3’s identity crisis – current systems either expose personal data (Web2 logins) or lack human verification (anonymous wallets). Its Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) framework lets users prove they’re unique humans via smartphone palm scans, generating encrypted proofs without storing raw biometric data (Humanity Protocol Gitbook). This combats bot farms in DeFi, DAOs, and airdrops while meeting EU/US privacy regulations.

2. Technology Stack

Built as a zkEVM Layer-2 chain, the protocol combines:
- Palm recognition: Requires liveness detection to prevent spoofing
- Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs): Verifies claims (e.g., “over 18”) without revealing details
- Decentralized storage: User credentials encrypted off-chain, accessible only via private keys
Validators (“zkProovers”) stake H tokens to verify identities, earning fees while maintaining network integrity.

3. Tokenomics & Governance

H (10B max supply) serves three roles:
1. Network fuel: Pays for identity verification and credential updates
2. Staking: Secures consensus via validator nodes
3. Governance: Votes on protocol upgrades and treasury allocations
Notably, 69.5% of tokens are held by early investors/team (CoinEx analysis), creating unlock-related volatility risks.

Conclusion

Humanity Protocol reimagines digital identity as a privacy-preserving public good – but can it balance decentralization with the technical demands of biometric verification? As AI deepfakes and regulatory scrutiny intensify, H’s success hinges on mainstream adoption of its palm-scan alternative to Worldcoin-style iris recognition.

CMC AI can make mistakes. Not financial advice.