Ethereum ETH -0.05% co-founder Vitalik Buterin shared his insights on the topic of “Biometric Proof of Personality” today in a thoughtful article titled “What do I think about Biometric Proof of Personality?”
Throughout his comments, Buterin recognizes the inherent value of biometric proofs of personality and doesn’t shy away from the possible dangers surrounding their different implementations.
He firmly believes that the complete lack of any kind of proof of personality could lead to a future ruled by centralized identity solutions, monetary power, or small gated communities, or even a complex entanglement of all three.
Buterin offers a critical perspective, showing that a world that lacks proof of personality seems to be more prone to these scenarios.
Among the various proof-of-person projects, including but not limited to Worldcoin, Proof-of-Person, and Circles, the most prominent application has always been the embedded “N-Person Token”, commonly referred to as “UBI Token”.
The system grants each registered user a fixed quota of tokens, distributed on a consistent schedule, whether daily, hourly, or weekly.
The unifying thread in these circumstances is a strong desire to establish open, democratic institutions. A central goal of these projects is to circumvent centralized control by project managers and potential overreach by the wealthiest users to ensure a fair distribution of power and resources.
Through his nuanced perspective, Buterin contributes to the ongoing discussion around the potential and risks of implementing biometric proof of personality.