Polkadot founder Gavin Wood announced the launch of Proof-of-Personhood Identity (PoP) at the Web3 Summit 2025 in Berlin, a cryptographic framework designed to enable decentralized human verification on-chain. The system introduces two identifiers: DIM1 (Proof of Individuality) and DIM2 (Proof of Verified Individuality), aiming to distinguish real users from AI-generated content and bots without relying on centralized models.
Backed by a $3 million treasury proposal, PoP will debut alongside what Wood called "the fairest airdrop ever," though no specific launch date was provided. The framework targets sybil resistance and reduced security costs, addressing flaws in traditional methods like KYC and CAPTCHAs amid growing AI-driven identity challenges.
The announcement catalyzed a 3.5% DOT price surge to $4.40, with trading volume spiking 49.8% to $672.7 million. This rebound follows a 17% weekly decline earlier attributed to SEC delays in approving a Polkadot ETF and regulatory uncertainties. Polkadot's market cap now stands at $7.05 billion, ranking it 22nd among cryptocurrencies.