[Rejected by House of Merit]Securing One-Person-One-Vote Integrity in NEAR: Sustaining Sybil-attack Prevention with I-Am-Human

NEAR Digital Collective
, ,
1

I-Am-Human (IAH) requests continued funding to sustain its role as a Sybil-attack prevention protocol within the Near Ecosystem. As a digital identifier, IAH issues Soulbound Tokens, enabling one-person-one-vote integrity across various human-gated services. Currently managed by a volunteer council, IAH faces financial challenges, with operational funds projected to last only a few more months.

The proposal seeks a $15k monthly stipend from HoM to support critical enhancements and maintain IAH’s public good status. It emphasizes the need for a thoughtful decision by HoM & CoA, considering community-wide benefits. While an alternative pay-per-use model is considered, the preference is to continue IAH’s development through supportive funding, ensuring its ongoing contribution to the ecosystem. This amount is tied to achievement of monthly milestones. If milestones are not met, then funding will not be sought.

Section 1 - DAO/Project Information

  • Organization Name: I-Am-Human DAO
  • Proposal Title: Securing One-Person-One-Vote Integrity in NEAR: Sustaining Sybil-attack Prevention with I-Am-Human
  • Establishment Date: March 2023
  • DAO’s Category: Community Led
  • Project’s Category: Identity Verification Services

Section 2. Previous Funding

  • Have you received funding for this project from any source? Yes, initial funding came from the Near Foundation, which was used for an art competition related to badge design for IAH. The competition faced a Sybil attack (ironically), leading to only partial bounty payouts. Remaining treasury funds, sufficient for 3-6 months of operation, originate from this source.

Section 3. DAO URLs

  • DAO / Project Website: https://i-am-human.app
  • Is Your DAO/Project Targeting a Specific Country? No, the target is Global.
  • Which region will your DAO/ Project support? International

Section 4. Applicant Information

Section 5. Team Members

  • The IAH DAO currently operates with a council of five volunteer members. Rob, Kaz, Illuminifti, Atrox, and Strachy

Section 6. Experience

  • Short Summary of Your and Team’s Professional Experience:
    • Developed by Rob and Kaz during NearCon 2022, IAH has been instrumental in attempting to provide a decentralized, permissionless, and global identifier for the NEAR ecosystem, akin to a digital representation of an individual’s unique presence.
    • Atrox and Illuminifiti (along with Rob & Kaz) were key members of GWG during the majority of 2023, and served as key advisors. They have also featured prominently in discussions after the v1 election, advocating for increased transparency, ownership, accountability and common decency in various discussion forums.
  • List Web3 Projects You Have Completed: IAH itself is a notable project, designed to facilitate one-person-one-vote mechanisms across various platforms within the NEAR ecosystem.
  • Relevant Data Points Showing Your Competencies: The development of IAH into its current state, despite financial and operational challenges, demonstrates the team’s commitment and capability in delivering innovative solutions within the NEAR ecosystem.

Section 7. DAO/Project Charter/White or Litepaper and Goals

  • Project Overview: IAH seeks $15k monthly from HoM to sustain and enhance its operations as a vital Sybil-attack prevention protocol, issuing Soulbound Tokens for identity verification across the NEAR ecosystem.
  • What Problem Are You Aiming to Solve?: The proposal addresses the continued role in securing the integrity of one-person-one-vote systems and other human-gated services for all the DAOs and organizations within the NEAR ecosystem, particularly by providing easier onboarding, account abstraction, optional ways of credentialing yourself, and more stable environment through continuous improvement.
  • Roadmap of your DAO/project, Milestones, and achievements: Future plans include
    • FastAuth (for easier Onboarding)
    • Integrating the new NDC Fractal contract and idOS (for a better overall user experience on BOS with just one source of truth)
    • Pulling in human credentials from Gitcoin Passport as a second validation point (to reduce our reliance on biometrics)
    • Add on-chain reputation and/or a trust graph as a third validation point
    • Add better support for NadaBot and potentially other DAOs requiring custom integration functions
    • Building a two-of-three requirement for the is_human function call, requiring that people have two of three possible IAH SBTs (face verification, gitcoin passport, and/or on-chain reputation)
  • Charter: See this separate charter for more details: I-Am-Human Proposal 2 - Google Docs

Section 8. Budget

  • Projected Budget for the next three months: $15,000 per month at first, focusing on critical enhancements, upgrades and operational maintenance.
  • Length of Commitment to Delivering Your Project: The proposed duration for this funding is 3 months, with specific allocations for development initiatives and operational costs.
  • Will your team be fully remunerated from this budget? The budget primarily supports development and operational costs, with council members only receiving remuneration for additional duties beyond their voluntary roles.

Section 9. Project/DAO Longevity

  • Does your project/DAO require one-time or continuous funding? Continuous funding is sought to ensure the viability and development of IAH, but at a significantly lower rate than this proposal. See separate proposal for the continuous funding.
  • Will your DAO/Project devise a way of sustaining itself after this round of funding? While a pay-per-use model could be considered, the preference is for supportive funding to maintain its public good status and contribute to the ecosystem.
  • What are the possible roadblocks to the success of your project/DAO? Financial sustainability remains a critical challenge, alongside navigating the decision-making processes within NDC’s governance structures.