Tokenized Identity
Tokenized Identity (also known as 1 Human = 1 Token) is the identity foundation of the Sanctuary Protocol, proposing that every person receives a single, non-transferable identity token for their lifetime, activated through in-person vouching by existing token holders.
The Identity Problem
Current identity systems serve institutions, not people:
- Driver's licenses serve motor vehicle departments
- Passports serve border control
- Social security numbers serve tax collection
None of these represent a person as a whole being with dignity and agency. The Sanctuary Protocol proposes identity as relationship, not identity as database entry.
Core Mechanics
One Token Per Lifetime
Every person receives a single, non-transferable identity token that:
- Cannot be bought or sold
- Cannot be duplicated or faked
- Is linked to a living human being
- Persists across all civic interactions
You don't earn this token. You are it.
Activation Through Vouching
To activate a token, a person must be vouched for by at least two already-verified token holders, in person.
This is digital witnessing. Two humans who know you stand and say: "This person exists. We recognize them."
Verification methods:
- Co-location confirmation
- Biometric sync at registered points
- Signed physical meet-up with timestamp
No centralized authority decides if you're "real enough." Your reality is attested by your community.
The Proximity Graph
Each token maintains a dynamic trust graph: who vouched for whom, when, and how often they've interacted.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Recency | Recent interactions weight more heavily |
| Depth | Direct vouchers matter more than vouchers-of-vouchers |
| Diversity | Connections across different communities increase resilience |
Your influence in any decision depends on your proximity to that decision's domain and affected parties.
Mutual Accountability
The mechanism that changes behavior:
If a token holder causes verified harm, their vouch network is scrutinized.
Not punished automatically—scrutinized. The question becomes: Did the vouchers know? Could they have known? What support structures failed?
If you vouched for someone who defrauded others, your own reputation takes a hit. Not because you're guilty, but because vouching has weight.
This creates natural incentive toward:
- Vouching with care, not convenience
- Knowing who you're connected to
- Supporting people you've vouched for
- Early intervention when warning signs appear
What This Replaces
Traditional Voting
Instead of one-person-one-vote every four years, influence flows continuously through the trust graph. You don't vote for representatives who ignore you. You participate directly in decisions where your proximity gives you legitimate voice. See Proportional Influence.
Criminal Records
There's no permanent scarlet letter. Harm is addressed through the vouch network, restoration, and empathy protocols. Your token carries history, but that history can be recontextualized through demonstrated change.
Credit Scores
Financial trustworthiness becomes a function of actual relationships, not algorithmic guesswork from payment history. People vouch for your reliability, and that vouching has consequences.
Social Media Verification
No blue checks for sale. Verification means: real humans in your life attest to your existence. The incentive to create fake accounts disappears when each account requires in-person activation by real people who bear accountability for the vouch.
Technical Foundation
The token system builds on existing technology:
Identity Layer:
- Self-sovereign identity standards (W3C Decentralized Identifiers)
- Zero-knowledge proofs for privacy-preserving verification
- Biometric binding without centralized biometric databases
Vouching Layer:
- Multi-signature smart contracts for token activation
- QR-based ceremony protocols
- Secure enclave technology for attestation
Graph Layer:
- IPFS for distributed, censorship-resistant storage
- On-chain anchoring for immutability via RGB Protocol
- Privacy-preserving graph queries
Precedents
| System | Description |
|---|---|
| PGP Web of Trust | Cryptographic identity verified through peer signatures, used since 1991 |
| DAO Governance | Decentralized autonomous organizations using reputation-weighted voting |
| Soulbound Tokens | Vitalik Buterin's 2022 proposal for non-transferable tokens representing credentials and commitments |
| Indigenous Kinship Systems | Traditional cultures organizing identity through relational webs rather than bureaucratic documentation |
Risks and Mitigations
Sybil Attacks
Bad actors creating multiple fake identities.
Mitigation: In-person vouching with multiple vouchers makes Sybil attacks expensive and detectable. Vouchers bear reputation cost for fake vouches.
Social Exclusion
People without community being unable to activate tokens.
Mitigation: Designated "witness" roles at community centers, libraries, social services. Multiple pathways to initial vouching.
Surveillance Creep
The graph becoming a tool for oppressive monitoring.
Mitigation: Privacy-preserving cryptography. Right to be forgotten. Local-first architecture. No central authority with complete view.
Vouch Coercion
Powerful people forcing vouches from dependents.
Mitigation: Anonymous reporting mechanisms. Pattern detection for unusual vouch clusters. Cooling-off periods before vouch confirmation.
The Philosophical Shift
Current identity systems ask: Who are you according to the state?
The token system asks: Who knows you? Who would stand for you?
This is identity as relationship, not identity as database entry. It returns to something older than bureaucracy: the human truth that we exist in connection, and that connection carries responsibility.
See Also
- Web of Trust
- Decentralized Identifiers
- Sybil Resistance
- Proportional Influence
- Human Verification API
- RGB Protocol
- Main Page
References
- W3C. (2022). Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0. W3C Recommendation.
- Buterin, V., Weyl, E.G., & Ohlhaver, P. (2022). "Decentralized Society: Finding Web3's Soul."