Worldcoin's competitor Humanity Protocol launches a $1.1 billion Mainnet - Transitioning from privacy-focused Web2 to Web3 ID | CoinDesk JAPAN

• The Humanity protocol, valued at 1.1 billion Dollars, has launched a Mainnet that connects Web2 credentials to Web3 services using Zero-Knowledge Transport Layer Security (zkTLS).
• With zkTLS, users can verify authentication information such as loyalty status and educational background without revealing the original documents, thereby avoiding the collection of biometric data.
• "Human ID" originally supports authentication information for airlines, hotels, finance, and education, and plans to expand into on-chain issuance, decentralized governance, and platforms resistant to civil attacks in the future.

Humanity Protocol, a Hong Kong-based startup, raised $20 million (approximately 2.9 billion yen, based on an exchange rate of 145 yen to the dollar) in a funding round co-led by Jump Crypto and Pantera Capital, reaching a valuation of $1.1 billion (approximately 159.5 billion yen). The launch of the Mainnet took place just a few months after this.

With the zkTLS technology of the Humanity Protocol, users can prove that they have viewed verifiable information such as job listings and airline loyalty statuses. In doing so, there is no need to disclose the original documents or pages.

Confidential data does not leak externally from the user's browser, avoiding the privacy concerns associated with biometric authentication methods, including Worldcoin's iris scan model.

Initially, users can build a portable reputation layer that can be used in both Web2 and Web3 applications by directly linking their mileage accounts and loyalty accounts to a "Human ID".

This network also supports financial, educational, and professional credentialing. In the future, it plans to expand its node infrastructure to new regions and venture into on-chain issuance and decentralized governance.

Founder and CEO Terence Kwok stated, "The mainnet release will enable us to transform decentralized ID into a practical infrastructure," and added, "With the operation of zkTLS, everyone can verify their identity and credentials across multiple platforms, while centralized third parties will not have access to personal data."

Humanity protocol positions itself as a privacy-conscious alternative to "proof-of-human" projects like Worldcoin by utilizing cryptographic proof rather than physical biometric verification.

The architecture of this network allows developers to build a social platform resistant to Sybil attacks, a reputation-based marketplace, and an AI-driven "humanity check" without collecting or storing sensitive user data.

A Sybil attack occurs when an individual or organization generates numerous fake identities within a network. It is often used to target rewards such as airdrops or to achieve disproportionate control over network operations.

| Translation & Editing: Rina Hayashi ｜Image: Getty Images+/Unsplash
｜Original: Worldcoin Rival Humanity Protocol Debuts $1.1B Mainnet for Privacy-First Web2 to Web3 Identity