Palm prints reveal Shenzhen access control factory? Humanity, valued at 1.1 billion, exposed as a technology scam

Humanity Protocol, a Web3 identity recognition project valued at $1.1 billion, faces growing scrutiny over its technology and credibility. Backed by top investors like Pantera and Animoca Brands, it claims to solve "sybil attacks" using palmprint recognition but is now embroiled in controversy.
Capital Boost: The project raised over $50 million from prominent investors, leveraging its "anti-sybil" narrative. However, its rapid valuation and high-profile backing are now under question.
Tech Outsourcing Allegations: Code traces link Humanity to a Shenzhen access control manufacturer, Zhangteng, sparking claims that its core tech is outsourced rather than innovative. Founder Terence Kwok defended the partnership as "historical," but skepticism remains.
Security Risks: Earlier reports highlighted vulnerabilities, such as storing private keys in plain text during testing, raising concerns about user safety.
Founder's Controversial Past: Kwok's previous venture, Tink Labs, collapsed after burning $170 million, casting doubt on his ability to manage Humanity responsibly.
Airdrop Backlash: The "Proof of Humanity" airdrop disappointed users, with many receiving minimal or no rewards despite long-term participation. Reports of unfair distribution and "ghost addresses" fueled community anger.
Ongoing Doubts: Despite Kwok's promises to address concerns, the project's legitimacy and transparency remain in question, with critics calling it a "capital-driven scam" disguised as innovation.

Written by: Fairy, ChainCatcher

Editor: TB, ChainCatcher

On one hand, it is being favored by top capital, while on the other hand, it is plagued by technology outsourcing and privacy disputes; on one hand, it holds high the banner of "anti-witch", while on the other hand, the logo of a Shenzhen access control manufacturer was found in the code.

Humanity Protocol, a Web3 identity recognition star project known as the "strongest anti-sybil network", has a valuation of over 1.1 billion US dollars. It is backed by a luxurious capital lineup including Pantera, Jump, and Animoca. It was once regarded as a strong competitor to Worldcoin.

But on the other side of the spotlight, the outer layer of "technological revolution" and "privacy shield" is peeling off bit by bit. What kind of "double-sided drama" is behind Humanity?

Capital creates gods: the quick code for the 1.1 billion valuation

Humanity Protocol was founded in 2023. Its core selling point is a human proof system based on palmprint recognition. It claims to be able to solve the "witch" problem in the Web3 world through non-invasive biometric technology.

Capital quickly attracted attention: Humanity has completed three rounds of financing so far, with an amount exceeding US$50 million and a fully diluted valuation of US$1.1 billion. Investors include 31 well-known institutions such as Animoca Brands, Blockchain.com, Polygon, and IDG Blockchain.

The Humanity Foundation is also led by Animoca Brands Chairman Yat Siu. Co-founding directors include Mario Nawfal, founder of an international blockchain consulting firm, and Yeewai Chong, a senior investment expert from Morgan Stanley and Ortus Capital.

On June 17, the Android version of Humanity that supports palm print scanning verification was released, and more than 8 million users have reserved Human ID. Then on June 22, Binance announced that it would launch Humanity Protocol (H) in the Alpha and contract markets. So far, the development momentum of Humanity seems to be very strong, but with the launch of the airdrop activity, more and more hidden information has been uncovered by netizens, and doubts have gradually emerged.

The core technology comes from Chinese outsourcing factories?

According to X user @ LianFang, Humanity Protocol may be a "domestic project shell". The APP code library still contains information and pictures of Shenzhen access control manufacturer Zhangteng, and it is said that the popularity of its social platforms is mostly directed and performed by the project's small accounts.

Crypto KOL AB Kuai.Dong further disclosed that behind Zhangteng Information is a Shanghai outsourcing company that specializes in outsourcing services for identity verification systems. This is in stark contrast to the "technological innovation" promoted by Humanity.

In response, Humanity founder Terence Kwok said that Zhangteng Information was an early partner and the relevant materials were "historical relics" from the packaging process. He also emphasized that the other party's founder was a former Tencent executive, had also cooperated with UnionPay, and had rich experience in the field of biometrics.

However, this response did not dispel the community's doubts. AB Kuai.Dong asked in return, if it was just a collaboration, why could they use their code base, even including the cover of their company?

In fact, this is not the first time that Humanity has caused controversy at the technical level. As early as December 2024, Yu Xian, the founder of SlowMist Technology, published an article on the X platform pointing out that Humanity has serious security risks in the test network stage: if users use Web2 login methods (such as email), the platform will automatically assign a wallet address and store the private key in plain text in the browser's sessionStorage.

The technological background of Humanity, wrapped in gorgeous packaging, has gradually lost its luster with each revelation.

The shadow of the founder's resume: $170 million "a lesson from the past"

When faced with team controversy, Humanity Protocol founder Terence Kwok said: "I am a Chinese who gave up my American passport and only holds a Hong Kong passport." But as we dug deeper into his background, a not-so-glorious entrepreneurial resume surfaced.

According to foreign media Protos, Terence Kwok almost ruined his $1.5 billion smartphone company Tink Labs due to aggressive expansion, burning more than $170 million in investment funds. Tink Labs was favored by many giants including SoftBank and Foxconn for its innovative service of providing free smartphones to hotel guests. However, it fell into trouble due to changes in the market environment, imbalanced operating models and broken capital chains, and finally entered bankruptcy liquidation in 2020.

The former head of human resources at Tink Labs said bluntly: "I never expected it to last too long, but I didn't expect it to collapse so quickly. Kwok only cared about making money." This old case of "unicorn fall" is now also planting another hidden worry in the minds of users.

Airdrop becomes a joke

On June 22, Humanity Protocol announced the launch of the first "Proof of Humanity" Fairdrop airdrop. Qualified users include: participants in early testnets, real users, contributors to the promotion community, etc. However, this highly anticipated airdrop eventually ignited the collective anger of the community.

According to crypto KOL IceFrog, some people spent a year to complete the sign-in task, but only received an airdrop worth $1; many more people were directly shown as "not qualified". Volunteers who have been maintaining the community, producing content, and serving as official mods for a long time were also sent away with "0 airdrops". At the same time, multiple ghost addresses appeared on the chain, with no interaction and contribution records, but took away up to 40,000 $H airdrops.

In the past year, Humanity has frequently launched various "anti-witch" limited-time form-filling activities, requiring users to fill in detailed information, cooperate with verification, and participate in interactions. But the fact is that these behaviors have not become the real reference standard for airdrops, but are operations by the project party to create activity.

Humanity founder Terence Kwok responded to the airdrop controversy by saying: “We have taken note of the widespread feedback from the community and are seriously addressing complaints about fair airdrop distribution.” However, the future of the project is still full of uncertainty, and the community is eagerly looking forward to a more open, transparent and responsible response.

Humanity Protocol was lifted to the cloud by capital and vision, but it is shaky in the vortex of doubt and controversy. Under the wrapping paper of so-called "innovation", it may just be another capital hunting disguised with technical narrative.