introduction.md

Introduction to CUBID

CUBID is a decentralized identity management and Sybil attack prevention protocol designed to help apps and users navigate secure identity verification while preserving privacy.

Key Features

It leverages cryptographic techniques, zero-knowledge proofs, and collaboration between apps to ensure that users are real (human) without exposing unnecessary personal data. CUBID's key functionalities include:

1. Sybil Defense: It prevents the creation of multiple fake accounts (Sybil attacks) by allowing apps to verify that users are unique without requiring sensitive personal information like government IDs.

2. Reusable Identity: Users can create a digital identity that can be reused across different apps in the ecosystem, avoiding the need to repeatedly submit verification information.

3. Selective Disclosure: Users maintain control over their data, choosing what to share with specific apps. This concept of "identity stamps" lets users verify various facets of their identity while only disclosing relevant information.

4. APIs for Developers: CUBID provides APIs that developers can integrate into their apps for secure identity management and Sybil-resistance, enabling quick user onboarding with a low-friction experience.

5. Collaborative Ecosystem: CUBID aims to build an ecosystem of apps that collaborate on identity validation and trust-building, strengthening the integrity of the network as more apps participate.

A Cross-app Scoring Protocol

The CUBID identity management platform enhances security, privacy, and trust across a network of apps and websites, both in Web2 and Web3 (blockchain) environments. We collectively refer to such clients of CUBID as "Apps." Our central thesis is that a shared identity across multiple Apps not only strengthens user trust but also increases security and privacy at the same time.

As users interact with multiple Apps within the CUBID ecosystem, their identity becomes more robust, and their trustworthiness increases. At the same time, the collaborative nature of this ecosystem helps detect and prevent Sybil attacks, as Apps share insights and leverage collective knowledge. To facilitate this collaboration, CUBID uses a combination of Webhooks and APIs to propagate critical updates about identities that are either strengthened or weakened. The key component to making this data interchange possible without disclosing any personal information is the CUBID Scoring Algorithm.

• The score of a user represents the likelihood that they are a real user. A higher score means a higher probability that they are a unique and alive human being. Low scores, or even a high but reduced score, signals risk that the user is a bot or an attacker.
• Users may perform actions that affect their Score across all connected Apps. Inadvertently or intentionally creating multiple CUBID accounts will result in one or more of a user's Stamps being blacklisted. When this happens inadvertently, users must merge their accounts to resolve the blacklisting. Such incidents will temporarily lower their Score but will also restores it immediately afterward. However, for Sybil attackers, the Score remains permanently reduced.
• In a normal / inadvertent case you should not notice much issues within your App. If however such an attack occurs within your App itself or on the user's auth-account, then you will be notified about the blacklisting event through our Webhooks. This is hopefully then followed by un-blacklisting notification after corrective action has been taken.
• Apps can choose to either use the default scoring algorithm, or make their own.

Beyond managing user identities, CUBID also provides tools for secure Ethereum wallet creation and proof-of-personhood validation. Whether you’re looking to safeguard your platform against bots, manage decentralized identities, or verify user permissions, CUBID offers reliable, scalable solutions tailored to your needs.

Enabling New Capabilities

CUBID enables wonderful new capabilities and use cases, such as: Certainly! Here’s the reformatted list with the sub-bullets integrated into the main points:

CUBID enables wonderful new capabilities and use cases, such as:

• Democratic Voting: Ensures that each person can vote once in elections or referenda, preventing multiple votes by the same individual and supporting democratic processes.

• Non-gameable Polling: Makes polls resistant to manipulation or fraudulent responses by verifying that each response comes from a unique, verified individual.

• Fair Airdrops: Distributes cryptocurrency or tokens equitably among verified users, preventing multiple claims by a single person or malicious actors.

• Fair ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings): Ensures that ICOs are equitable and accessible by preventing monopolization of token distribution through verification of unique participants.

• Quadratic Funding: Scales contributions based on the number of unique supporters rather than the total amount, promoting democratic funding by verifying each contributor as a distinct individual.

• Quadratic Voting: Allocates votes to express the intensity of preferences while ensuring that each vote comes from a unique individual, preventing manipulation and ensuring accurate preference expression.

• Universal Basic Income (UBI): Provides regular, unconditional payments to individuals while using proof-of-personhood to verify that each recipient is unique, ensuring fair distribution.

• Online Reputation Protocols: Tracks and manages user reputations based on interactions from unique, verified individuals, reducing the impact of fake reviews or misleading ratings.

• Online Credentials: Verifies educational achievements or professional qualifications for distinct individuals, improving the trustworthiness of online credentials.

• Micro-lending: Facilitates small-scale loans by ensuring that borrowers are unique individuals, reducing fraud and improving the effectiveness of micro-lending platforms.

• Prevent Trolling in Comments Sections: Verifies that commenters are real individuals, reducing spam, trolling, and abusive behavior, and fostering constructive discussions.

• Learn-to-Earn: Rewards users for learning new skills or completing educational tasks while ensuring that rewards are given to unique, verified learners, preventing abuse and ensuring fair distribution of incentives.

• Government Identities: Not all governments today have reliable records of their Citizens. With some collaboration and customization, CUBID could be an awesome platform to help build a national citizen datbase.

• And Much More: Enables innovative solutions in various fields where verifying the uniqueness and authenticity of individuals is crucial, including secure access to services, personalized experiences, and other emerging use cases.

Strengthening Traditional Use Cases

CUBID also significantly helps app developers in traditional use cases. Here are some additional use cases that could benefit from a proof-of-personhood protocol:

• Access Control: Provides secure and personalized access to physical or digital spaces, ensuring that only unique, verified individuals can enter or use specific services.

• Credentialing for Professional Licensing: Ensures that licenses and certifications are issued to distinct individuals, preventing fraud and maintaining the integrity of professional qualifications.

• Peer-to-Peer Marketplaces: Verifies the identities of buyers and sellers to reduce fraud and enhance trust in transactions on peer-to-peer platforms.

• Insurance Claims: Confirms that claims are submitted by unique individuals, reducing the risk of fraudulent claims and ensuring fair processing.

• Medical Records Access: Ensures that only verified individuals can access or manage their medical records, enhancing privacy and security in healthcare systems.

• Event Ticketing: Prevents ticket scalping and ensures that each ticket is issued to a unique individual, improving fairness in event access.

• Subscription Services: Verifies that subscription services are accessed by distinct individuals, preventing multiple uses of a single subscription and ensuring equitable access.

• Social Networks: Reduces the impact of fake accounts and bots, improving the quality of interactions and content within social media platforms.

• Charity Donations: Ensures that donations are made by unique individuals, preventing abuse and ensuring that charitable contributions are fairly distributed.

• Crowdfunding Campaigns: Verifies that contributions come from unique individuals, enhancing the integrity of the fundraising process and preventing fraudulent activity.

• Voting in Online Communities: Allows for fair and transparent voting processes in online forums or communities by verifying that each vote is cast by a unique individual.

• Personalized Marketing: Ensures that marketing efforts are directed towards unique, verified individuals, improving the effectiveness of targeted campaigns.

• Rental Platforms: Verifies the identities of tenants and landlords to reduce fraud and enhance trust in rental transactions.

• Healthcare Research Participation: Ensures that participants in medical research studies are unique individuals, improving the validity and reliability of research data.

• Digital Identity Verification: Provides secure and verifiable digital identities for online transactions and services, enhancing trust and security in the digital world.

• E-Government Services: Facilitates access to government services and benefits for verified individuals, improving service delivery and reducing fraud.