In 2016, the internet began to head towards "death."

Why specifically in 2016?

Several landmark events occurred that year.

▌Facebook's algorithm underwent a major overhaul. The platform began to prioritize "high engagement content."

▌The surge of content farms and automated accounts.

▌Social media was hijacked by engagement metrics. Likes and comments became KPIs, forcing creators to cater to algorithms.

The internet did not truly "die," but it did begin to deteriorate. It transformed from a free-thinking square into an arena dominated by algorithms, AI, and commercial interests.

Fast forward to 2025. Everything is accelerating towards collapse.

With the explosion of large language models like ChatGPT, the quality of AI-generated content has seen a leap forward.

The barrier to creation has dropped to zero, and we are witnessing a machine-dominated ecosystem:

AI-generated content

AI account interactions

AI algorithm recommendations

According to the latest data, automated bot traffic now accounts for 51% of global internet traffic.

In this context, the judgment of Terence Kwok, founder of Humanity Protocol, is particularly accurate: "The future of the internet depends on one thing—knowing who is real and who is fake."

This is the underlying logic behind the explosion of the digital identity sector.

In other words, proving one's humanity is the salvation of the internet.

@Humanityprot aims to build a human-led internet.

By using blockchain + palm print verification, it returns control of digital identity to individuals. You can prove you are a real person, control your data, and reap value without disclosing privacy.

Compared to Worldcoin's invasive iris scanning, palm print verification is more natural and privacy-friendly. A simple scan of the palm with a phone generates a unique hash without the need to store biological images.

Digital identity will be the cornerstone of the next generation of the internet. The only suspense is who will win in the "proof of humanity" competition?

Here are a few noteworthy players in this sector:

Humanity Protocol's mainnet has officially launched, with a valuation reaching $1.3 billion.

Worldcoin has a first-mover advantage but faces increasingly serious privacy controversies.

Emerging projects like Self Protocol are exploring different technological paths.

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