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Be In The Same Room At The Same Time

A. C. Applebee, L. N. Combe · 2026

Abstract

The Sybil problem — one entity creating multiple fake identities — has consumed decentralized identity research for over two decades. Solutions range from iris biometrics (Worldcoin) to trust graphs (BrightID) to video-based proof (Proof of Humanity), each adding cryptographic and computational complexity while introducing new attack surfaces. This paper proposes that the Sybil problem was solved by physics before computers existed: one body cannot occupy two locations simultaneously. A protocol requiring all participants on Earth to be physically co-present in groups of four or more during a single synchronized 60-minute window, four times per year, achieves 100% Sybil resistance through the constraint of embodiment. No biometrics. No graph analysis. No challenge mechanisms. The cost of this system — forced human connection — is reframed not as overhead but as its primary output.

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