Introduction
The Proof of Human (PoH) Credential is the highest-assurance credential issued under World ID. Users obtain it by verifying at an Orb, a device that captures iris biometrics. The credential is an anonymous proof that the user is a unique, live human.Use Cases
Use the PoH Credential when you need a strong guarantee that you are interacting with a unique, live human. It is the right choice for:- Sybil resistance: enforcing one account per human for airdrops, voting, rewards, or rate limiting.
- High-assurance authentication: gating sensitive actions where you need biometric confidence that you’re interacting with the correct, unique human.
- Proof of personhood: distinguishing humans from bots, agents, and synthetic identities.
Credential Structure
This credential implements the following attributes beyond the defaults in the Credential.| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
genesis_issued_at | The Unix timestamp of the user’s first PoH credential. Remains constant across credential renewals. |
expires_at | Unix timestamp when the credential expires. This is currently three years after the most recent issuance. |
associated_data_hash | The PoH credential has no associated data, so this field is always
FieldElement::ZERO. |
Claim 0 - Orb Credential Commitment
A commitment that binds the PoH credential to the Orb credential the user presented at issuance. This allows the PoH Issuer to attest that the credential was minted from a valid Orb verification without revealing the underlying Orb credential to relying parties.| Source | Value |
|---|---|
| Orb credential | H(hashes.json) — the hash signed by the Orb during enrollment. |
Credential Renewal
Users can renew their PoH credential to extend its validity as long as the Orb capture is deemed fresh by the issuer. Each renewal updates the credential withexpires_at = now + 3 years while genesis_issued_at remains constant.