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Every month, another token distribution falls prey to coordinated bot attacks.
Within minutes of launch, automated programs claim a significant portion of the supply, leaving genuine users with nothing but frustration. The pattern repeats with alarming regularity: a project announces an airdrop, bots flood the system, and real users find themselves crowded out––from Kaito (systemic flaws enabling bot predation) to Linea (the sheer scale of Sybil farming) to Magic Eden (technical vulnerabilities exploited by bots), and more.
Beyond token grabs, governance systems across web3 also face increasing manipulation.
Voting mechanisms designed to serve as vox populi become puppet shows instead, with single entities controlling multiple identities to sway outcomes in their favor. What appears to be community consensus often masks the influence of a concentrated few operating via bot armies.
This problem intensifies as new tokens launch daily, with each facing the same fundamental challenge of reaching real humans rather than automated scripts.
Without solving this identity verification challenge, web3 remains vulnerable to exploitation, undermining its foundational promise.
Enter zero-knowledge cryptography, which offers a logical and attainable solution.
This technology, evolving from mathematical theory into practical applications, can solve this core contradiction by enabling the verification of humanity without exposing personal information.
The privacy paradox
Web3 advertises the promise of decentralized systems that preserve user privacy while enabling trustless interactions. Yet today, projects face a seemingly impossible choice when verifying users.
On one hand, there are conventional KYC solutions—intrusive identity verification systems that demand personal documentation and create centralized repositories of sensitive data. These systems not only contradict web3’s ethos but also present security vulnerabilities.
On the other hand, there are soft spam prevention mechanisms that preserve privacy but fail to provide meaningful protection against bot attacks.
A human problem, not a technical one
Crypto’s deepest challenges don’t solely lie in blockchain mechanics, consensus algorithms, or smart contract optimization. They exist at the boundary where digital systems meet human reality.
While the industry has made significant strides in reducing gas fees and speeding up transactions, it has struggled to translate real-world trust into the digital realm.
How do we verify someone’s humanity without demanding they surrender their personal data?
The zero-knowledge solution
Zero-knowledge proofs—once theoretical mathematical constructs—now offer a practical solution to this paradox. This cryptographic approach allows users to prove specific facts about themselves without revealing any underlying data.
Building bridges between trust systems
The solution to web3’s identity crisis doesn’t require reinventing trust from scratch. It can be done by building secure bridges between existing trust infrastructures, like government-issued IDs and digital systems.
Florent Tavernier
Florent Tavernier is the co-founder of Self Labs, building a scalable trust layer for the internet that puts privacy first. Florent joined Self Labs (founded by Celo core team members in early 2024), following its acquisition of OpenPassport, where he was also a co-founder. Self’s mission is to provide essential infrastructure for verifying human identity while preserving individual privacy, with the capacity to scale for hundreds of millions of users. Driven by his fundamental belief that Sybil-resistance is the main barrier to mainstream crypto adoption, Florent first worked in the DeFi sector, later developing privacy-preserving identity verification infrastructure closely with the Ethereum Foundation.