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Following the acquisition, Holonym plans to offer its rebranded Human Passport to users worldwide.
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Holonym Foundation, a zero-knowledge (ZK) digital identity project, is expanding its network through the acquisition of the identity verification platform Gitcoin Passport.
Holonym has acquired Gitcoin Passport in a $10 million deal to scale its decentralized identity (DID) tools as part of its Human.tech suite, it stated in an announcement shared with Cointelegraph on Feb. 10.
The acquisition, finalized in late 2024, combines Gitcoin Passport’s proof-of-humanity system with Holonym’s Human Network, which leverages ZK technology for privacy-focused onchain reputation.
“Together with Human Passport, we have over 2 million users and more than 35 million credentials that we will be migrating to ZK-friendly credentials on the human network over the next few months,” Holonym co-founder Shady El Damaty said.
Gitcoin Passport rebrands to Human Passport
As part of the acquisition, Gitcoin Passport will rebrand to Human Passport to better reflect its status as a proof of humanity (PoH) solution, which enables individuals to verify their identity without disclosing sensitive personal data.
The Passport is an identity verification aggregator that allows users to collect “Stamps,” or verifiable credentials from various Web2 and Web3 verifiers such as Google or Holonym. It’s designed to safeguard user privacy and protect against Sybil attacks or hacks involving the creation of fake identities to manipulate the network.
Gitcoin Passport’s unique humanity score components. Source: Delphidigital.io
According to El Damaty, the Human Passport is designed to be accessible to users all over the world, offering a combination of common verification methods such as online reputation, web accounts, phone numbers, government IDs or biometrics.
Related: Blockchain identity platform Humanity Protocol valued at $1.1B after fundraise
“Human Passport will soon include an anonymous biometric method that was previously developed and currently being piloted by Holonym to provide displaced populations in the Global South with a base identity to receive direct aid and humanitarian services,” he noted.
“The winner in the identity space will likely also be the winner in the wallet space”
Holonym’s Gitcoin Passport acquisition is another sign of growing competition in the digital identity industry, with rivals like World and Humanity Protocol actively advancing the DID technology.
“We’re not just an identity protocol. We power financial coordination networks with keys, wallets and identity proofs,” El Damaty told Cointelegraph.
Human.tech versus competitors like World and the Humanity Protocol. Source: Holonym
“The current state of Web3 ID solutions is experiencing a consolidation similar to the wallet space,” he noted, adding:
“The winner in the identity space will likely also be the winner in the wallet space. Those that are building in both directions, like Human.tech, are the best positioned to come out on top.”
El Damaty mentioned that Human’tech has been progressing with wallet development based on recent breakthroughs in 2PC-MPC technology.
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This article first appeared at Cointelegraph.com News
