# Humanity Protocol Demonstrates Palm Vein Authentication at Seoul Private Dinner

Humanity Protocol showcased its digital identity verification through palm vein recognition at a private dinner event in Seoul on April 14. Terence Kwok, Co-founder of Humanity Protocol, personally demonstrated the device, highlighting the process by which users can verify their identity simply by placing their hand on a scanner. This marked the first event in Korea showcasing how Humanity Protocol operates in practice.

# Swift and Convenient Palm Vein Authentication

The authentication process unfolded as follows: first, users logged in with their registered ID on the Humanity Protocol testnet. Then, they scanned their palm on the device, which used infrared to capture the complete vein pattern of the palm. The data was then encrypted through a zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) system.

Notably, the biometric data itself is never exposed externally. Humanity Protocol applies ZKP, meaning only authentication signals—not vein images—are exchanged. The scanned vein images are discarded on-device, ensuring that personal information remains protected while proving individual uniqueness.

Subsequently, users were able to log in to Humanity Protocol’s mobile platform by simply showing their palm to their phone’s camera. This entire process took less than 30 seconds, emphasizing the speed and efficiency of the registration and authentication.

On-site feedback highlighted the speedy recognition, difficulty in forging the non-exposed biometric data, and compatibility with various devices like apps and cameras as key advantages. However, some noted that recognition accuracy might vary with smartphone camera quality or lighting conditions, suggesting that hardware improvements may be needed for broader service expansion.

Palm vein information, being non-exposable, offers high anonymity. Despite some concerns that high anonymity might impair individual identification, it was explained that using patterns from both palms can enhance identification accuracy. Anonymity here refers to protecting personal information from being identifiable, made possible by using encrypted authentication signals without storing actual vein images.

# UBI Premature, Focus on PoH-Based Ecosystem

Terence noted that their token, $HP, is designed as an ecosystem incentive but does not consider a Universal Basic Income (UBI) model. Currently, the focus is on practical reward structures, such as compensating Proof of Humanity (PoH) participants, rewarding DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infra-Network) node operators, and airdrops to partners. They aim to establish a decentralized digital identity (DID) system with high usability before considering models like token rewards for proving humanity.

# Achieving Practical Digital Humanity

Humanity Protocol aims to integrate three challenges: protecting biometric data, resisting Sybil attacks, and ensuring user convenience through its vein authentication technology. The demonstration at the Koll Dinner provided a tangible experience of this vision. With fast authentication and minimal data exposure, the protocol is seen as having competitive potential in the DID market.

However, questions remain about how this technology will integrate with real-world services like access control, payment systems, and hotel check-ins, and how it will respond to regulatory frameworks. Whether “fast and secure palm authentication” can achieve mainstream adoption is a key point of interest moving forward.