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.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.