The Human Endorsement Dialect— HumanED
The Human Endorsement Dialect— HumanED
[I] Introduction
Mercle is building HumanED, a proof-of-personhood engine capable of consuming data from various digital and biometric sources. Proof of personhood (PoP) is a complex challenge, and there is no single perfect solution. Instead of assuming that any one approach will fully solve PoP, Mercle is focused on finding the best possible method by combining multiple trust signals. Social peer vouching is the starting point—an initial attempt to maximize reach before optimizing efficiency. This peer based network inside HumanED is called Human Hub.
In Human Hub participants vouch for others, forming a distributed web of trust. However, vouching alone is only one component of the system—other data points acts as an additional verification layer. Transaction patterns, interactions, and behavioral consistency provide insights into the credibility of each participant. The network is structured so that the rewards for bringing in genuine users are significantly higher than any potential gains from introducing bad actors. This ensures that the system incentivizes trust and accountability over manipulation.
[I] Introduction
Mercle is building HumanED, a proof-of-personhood engine capable of consuming data from various digital and biometric sources. Proof of personhood (PoP) is a complex challenge, and there is no single perfect solution. Instead of assuming that any one approach will fully solve PoP, Mercle is focused on finding the best possible method by combining multiple trust signals. Social peer vouching is the starting point—an initial attempt to maximize reach before optimizing efficiency. This peer based network inside HumanED is called Human Hub.
In Human Hub participants vouch for others, forming a distributed web of trust. However, vouching alone is only one component of the system—other data points acts as an additional verification layer. Transaction patterns, interactions, and behavioral consistency provide insights into the credibility of each participant. The network is structured so that the rewards for bringing in genuine users are significantly higher than any potential gains from introducing bad actors. This ensures that the system incentivizes trust and accountability over manipulation.
[II] Mercle’s Approach of Human Hubs
Mercle's Human Hub network will ensure that adding trusted participants yields long-term benefits, while introducing fraudulent users carries significant risks. The economic and social incentives are structured so that genuine participation is the most valuable strategy.
Instead of enforcing rigid identity verification mechanisms, the system is designed to be adaptive. Trust signals are continuously refined based on network participation, peer endorsements, and verifiable on-chain interactions.
[II] Mercle’s Approach of Human Hubs
Mercle's Human Hub network will ensure that adding trusted participants yields long-term benefits, while introducing fraudulent users carries significant risks. The economic and social incentives are structured so that genuine participation is the most valuable strategy.
Instead of enforcing rigid identity verification mechanisms, the system is designed to be adaptive. Trust signals are continuously refined based on network participation, peer endorsements, and verifiable on-chain interactions.
[III] Social Vouching as a Trust Signal
Social peer vouching is one of many trust signals used for proof of personhood. While it serves as an effective starting point, it is not a standalone solution. Vouching creates a human-driven verification layer, where reputation and accountability are distributed among network participants.
Vouching carries responsibility—the referrer is linked to the vouched node’s actions. If a vouched node behaves maliciously, the referrer’s reputation and equity are impacted. This built-in accountability discourages reckless endorsements and fosters a more reliable verification process.
[III] Social Vouching as a Trust Signal
Social peer vouching is one of many trust signals used for proof of personhood. While it serves as an effective starting point, it is not a standalone solution. Vouching creates a human-driven verification layer, where reputation and accountability are distributed among network participants.
Vouching carries responsibility—the referrer is linked to the vouched node’s actions. If a vouched node behaves maliciously, the referrer’s reputation and equity are impacted. This built-in accountability discourages reckless endorsements and fosters a more reliable verification process.
[IV] The Role of On-Chain Data in Verifying Trust
Social vouching alone is not foolproof, which is where on-chain data plays a critical role. By analyzing transaction history, behavioural consistency, and network participation, we gain additional insights into whether an identity behaves like a genuine human or an automated bot. Patterns in how users interact with applications, the frequency of their transactions, and the types of engagements they participate in add layers of verification. Hence for this purpose Mercle’s Openrep will be utilised.
This approach allows HumanED to assign dynamic reputations to nodes, reinforcing the credibility of those who consistently act in ways that align with human behaviour. The network is not static—scores evolve based on real-world actions, ensuring continuous assessment rather than one-time verification.
Let’s now look into how some details of the peer network — ”Human Hub”
[IV] The Role of On-Chain Data in Verifying Trust
Social vouching alone is not foolproof, which is where on-chain data plays a critical role. By analyzing transaction history, behavioural consistency, and network participation, we gain additional insights into whether an identity behaves like a genuine human or an automated bot. Patterns in how users interact with applications, the frequency of their transactions, and the types of engagements they participate in add layers of verification. Hence for this purpose Mercle’s Openrep will be utilised.
This approach allows HumanED to assign dynamic reputations to nodes, reinforcing the credibility of those who consistently act in ways that align with human behaviour. The network is not static—scores evolve based on real-world actions, ensuring continuous assessment rather than one-time verification.
Let’s now look into how some details of the peer network — ”Human Hub”
[V] Core Components of Human Hub
Nodes
Nodes are the humans responsible for adding other humans to the system. They play a central role in expanding the network and maintaining its integrity through vouching and accountability.
Nodes fall into two categories:
Seed Nodes: Early, trusted participants responsible for initiating the network and setting its foundational reputation.
Leaf Nodes: Participants added to the network through referrals, inheriting a portion of their referrer's equity and trust.
Each node has:
Tokens: These track accountability and reputation within the system. Every node mints its unique token upon joining.
Seed nodes begin with 100 self-minted tokens.
Leaf nodes generate 80 self-issued tokens, while 20 are inherited from their referrer.
HumanED Score: Generated by Mercle Oracles (decentralized in the future), this score evaluates wallet activity, past PoP verifications, and social credibility on a scale of 0 to 90. Scores exceeding 90 requires biometric proof.
HumanED Grade: A simplified version of the score, categorized from A+ to E.
Behavior Type: Determines how a node interacts within the system, whether positively (vouching for real users) or negatively (adding fraudulent accounts).
Shadow Ban Tokens: Issued to nodes involved in suspicious activity, decreasing their HumanED score and impacting the reputation of their referrers.
2. Token Mechanism
Tokens govern interactions within the network:
Seed nodes start with 100 self-minted tokens.
New nodes receive 80 self-issued tokens and inherit 20 from the referrer.
3. HumanED Score and Grade
HumanED scores dynamically update based on network activity and accumulated penalties.
Nodes receive grades (A+ to E) based on their scores:
A+ (above 90): 100% Human
A (81-90): Highly trusted.
B (61-80): Trusted.
C (41-60): Neutral.
D (21-40): Questionable.
E (0-20): Likely a bot or fraudulent actor.
4. Network Dynamics
4.1 Initialization
The network begins with a set of seed nodes, each assigned an initial HumanED grade and score based on a statistical distribution.
4.2 Node Interactions
Nodes interact in two main ways:
Adding New Nodes: Requires a referrer with a HumanED score above 60.
Vouching: Transfers 1/5 of all type of the referrer’s token holdings to the vouched-for node.
4.3 Shadow Ban Mechanism
Nodes engaging in fraudulent activity accumulate shadow ban tokens, reducing their HumanED score and affecting their referrer’s reputation.
4.4 Score Adjustments
HumanED scores continuously update based on network interactions, penalties, and verification mechanisms.
[V] Core Components of Human Hub
Nodes
Nodes are the humans responsible for adding other humans to the system. They play a central role in expanding the network and maintaining its integrity through vouching and accountability.
Nodes fall into two categories:
Seed Nodes: Early, trusted participants responsible for initiating the network and setting its foundational reputation.
Leaf Nodes: Participants added to the network through referrals, inheriting a portion of their referrer's equity and trust.
Each node has:
Tokens: These track accountability and reputation within the system. Every node mints its unique token upon joining.
Seed nodes begin with 100 self-minted tokens.
Leaf nodes generate 80 self-issued tokens, while 20 are inherited from their referrer.
HumanED Score: Generated by Mercle Oracles (decentralized in the future), this score evaluates wallet activity, past PoP verifications, and social credibility on a scale of 0 to 90. Scores exceeding 90 requires biometric proof.
HumanED Grade: A simplified version of the score, categorized from A+ to E.
Behavior Type: Determines how a node interacts within the system, whether positively (vouching for real users) or negatively (adding fraudulent accounts).
Shadow Ban Tokens: Issued to nodes involved in suspicious activity, decreasing their HumanED score and impacting the reputation of their referrers.
2. Token Mechanism
Tokens govern interactions within the network:
Seed nodes start with 100 self-minted tokens.
New nodes receive 80 self-issued tokens and inherit 20 from the referrer.
3. HumanED Score and Grade
HumanED scores dynamically update based on network activity and accumulated penalties.
Nodes receive grades (A+ to E) based on their scores:
A+ (above 90): 100% Human
A (81-90): Highly trusted.
B (61-80): Trusted.
C (41-60): Neutral.
D (21-40): Questionable.
E (0-20): Likely a bot or fraudulent actor.
4. Network Dynamics
4.1 Initialization
The network begins with a set of seed nodes, each assigned an initial HumanED grade and score based on a statistical distribution.
4.2 Node Interactions
Nodes interact in two main ways:
Adding New Nodes: Requires a referrer with a HumanED score above 60.
Vouching: Transfers 1/5 of all type of the referrer’s token holdings to the vouched-for node.
4.3 Shadow Ban Mechanism
Nodes engaging in fraudulent activity accumulate shadow ban tokens, reducing their HumanED score and affecting their referrer’s reputation.
4.4 Score Adjustments
HumanED scores continuously update based on network interactions, penalties, and verification mechanisms.
[VI] The Future of HumanED
Mercle is actively refining HumanED to enhance verification accuracy, optimize social vouching mechanisms, and improve the role of on-chain insights in determining trustworthiness. Proof of personhood remains an evolving challenge, but by combining multiple layers of validation, HumanED is building towards a scalable and resilient framework for verifying human uniqueness.
Our ultimate goal is to develop our own authentication methodology, starting with a social trust mechanism.
[VI] The Future of HumanED
Mercle is actively refining HumanED to enhance verification accuracy, optimize social vouching mechanisms, and improve the role of on-chain insights in determining trustworthiness. Proof of personhood remains an evolving challenge, but by combining multiple layers of validation, HumanED is building towards a scalable and resilient framework for verifying human uniqueness.
Our ultimate goal is to develop our own authentication methodology, starting with a social trust mechanism.