Humanity launches Proof of Trust to fight AI fraud

Humanity, a technology startup focused on building what it describes as an internet trust layer, has announced a transition from its original Proof of Humanity mechanism to a broader framework called Proof of Trust.

According to the press release shared with Finbold on February 19, the upgrade is designed to allow organizations to verify specific user information without collecting, storing, or exposing sensitive personal data. The new framework aims to address growing concerns around AI-driven fraud, synthetic identities, and large-scale digital manipulation.

From Proof of Humanity to Proof of Trust

The company said the shift comes as artificial intelligence (AI) lowers the cost of generating convincing fake personas and automated engagement, putting pressure on traditional online verification signals such as followers, engagement metrics, and verification badges.

Humanity originally focused on confirming that users were unique individuals through palm biometrics and zero-knowledge proofs. The new Proof of Trust model expands this approach by enabling verifiable credentials tied to specific identity traits. 

Users can prove attributes such as age, residency, education, employment, or compliance status without exposing raw personal data across integrated mobile and web applications.

While Proof of Humanity verifies whether a user is real, Proof of Trust extends this by enabling proof of additional claims beyond simply distinguishing humans from bots.

Developer APIs and Moongate acquisition

Alongside the technical update, Humanity also published a Trust Manifesto outlining its vision for digital identity. The document argues that the current internet was not designed with trust as a core principle and proposes a model built on user-controlled personal data, cryptographic proofs instead of raw information sharing, decentralized credential issuance, and portable identity credentials that function across primarily Web2 environments without leaking personal data.

The company has also released developer APIs aimed at traditional applications, enabling non-blockchain platforms to integrate human verification and trust services into authentication systems, access controls, and credential workflows without requiring blockchain expertise.

Potential use cases cited include social platforms verifying real users, financial services streamlining KYC processes without storing sensitive data, fraud prevention systems, and real-world asset ownership verification.

Humanity also disclosed that it recently acquired Moongate, an on-chain ticketing and credentialing platform. The acquisition is intended to expand its presence into event access, loyalty programs, and real-world credential issuance.

To date, Humanity said it has issued more than 8 million Human IDs and has completed its mainnet deployment on Arbitrum.

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