Earthlings Biometric Verification Policy

Biometric Verification Policy - Earthlings

Effective from the date of publication

Key Points (TL;DR)

SECTION 01

Principles and Philosophy

Why biometrics for a people's movement?

Biometrics in Earthlings serves one purpose: to confirm that behind every vote stands one living, unique person. This is the basis of trust between strangers - and nothing more: the system is designed so that it cannot be used for surveillance or control.

Philosophy of "Identity, not Documents"

We believe that a person is more important than documents. Your identity is defined not by a passport or citizenship, but by your unique biological signature and your free choice to be part of the Earthlings people.

The system's task is not external recognition but verifiable confirmation of a simple fact: you are you, and you are one.

Four principles of our system

The Earthlings biometric system is built on four principles:

1. Confirming uniqueness, not control
Biometrics protects the Earthlings people from multiple registrations (one person - one vote in the DAO) but does not create a surveillance database.
2. Belonging confirmed in person
Belonging to Earthlings is confirmed by your own uniqueness as a person and by your free choice. State documents remain in their place: verification only checks identity, replacing nothing.
3. Trust through verification
In a transnational people without central authority, confirmed uniqueness of a participant creates a base layer of trust - the confidence that behind each vote stands one real person. This does not guarantee good faith in a specific transaction, but it removes anonymous multiplicity of accounts as a source of manipulation.
4. Protection against abuse
Separation of storage, encryption, the practical impossibility of reconstructing images from templates - everything is designed so that the system cannot be used for mass surveillance.
SECTION 02

Scope and Consent

This policy defines the principles for processing biometric data when signing the Earthlings Declaration, obtaining Earthling status, using the verification system, and participating in the Earthlings people's infrastructure.

Legal basis

Processing of biometric data is carried out on the basis of the following legal provisions:

  • Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) and Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR) - biometric data is a special category of personal data under Article 9 GDPR and is processed exclusively on the basis of your explicit consent. This is the only basis on which biometrics are processed: neither performance of a contract nor legitimate interest can by itself make a special category of data lawful
Your consent: Biometric verification is fully voluntary and is a necessary condition for obtaining Earthling status and voting rights in the DAO.
SECTION 03

Requirements for Obtaining Earthling Status

To obtain Earthling status, you must pass biometric verification, which confirms your unique identity and protects the Earthlings people from multiple registrations.

Participant requirements

  • Age: at least 18 years old
  • Consent: voluntary acceptance of the Earthlings Declaration of Self-Determination
  • Verification: completion of biometric verification through the verification system
  • SBT passport issuance: minting of a unique identifier token on the blockchain

Registration data

The complete list of collected data and legal grounds for processing are described in the Earthlings Privacy Policy. For biometric verification, the following is required:

  • Nickname (pseudonym) - your choice, used in the SBT passport and for platform authorization
  • Email address (for communication and verification)
  • Biometric verification of document and face

Real first and last names are not stored: document data is used only at the moment of verification - to match the face against the document and confirm uniqueness - and is not retained after verification is complete. The verifiable registry of the Earthlings people is formed from cryptographic verification results. Your nickname remains your public identifier in the SBT passport and on the platform.

What Earthling status provides

Earthling SBT Passport
A non-fungible identifier token confirming your belonging to the Earthlings people
Voting rights in the DAO
Participation in collective decision-making (one person - one vote)
Access to infrastructure
Participation in projects, use of services, access to coordination systems
Right to protection
Legal protection of interests through the collective voice of the Earthlings people
SECTION 04

Biometric Processing Technology

Visual process diagram

Your Document → Your Face → Liveness Check → Document & Face Matching → Template Creation → Secure Storage

Types of biometric data processed

Earthlings biometric verification is based on document and face verification:

  • Document verification - matching data against an official identity document
  • Facial geometry - key points and proportions
  • Liveness detection - confirmation of live presence (protection against photos and videos)

Processing workflow (step by step)

1. Capture
Obtaining document and face images through a secure connection
2. Liveness Check
Verifying live presence to protect against forgeries
3. Feature Extraction
Extracting document data and facial key points
4. Template Creation
Creating a mathematical template - a set of numbers describing unique characteristics
5. Verification
Matching biometrics against the document and checking uniqueness
6. Encryption & Storage
Encryption and secure storage of verification results in the Earthlings system
Critically important: The proprietary Earthlings verification system processes documents and biometric data in real time. Photographs and document scans are not retained after verification is complete - only the verification result (verified/not verified status) and a mathematical template for preventing duplicate registrations are stored.
SECTION 05

Biometric Data Protection

Biometric data belongs to a special category of personal data (Art. 9 GDPR) and requires an elevated level of protection. General protection measures are described in the Privacy Policy; below are measures specific to biometrics.

Multi-layered biometric protection

Secure transmission
All biometric data is transmitted through secure channels (TLS/SSL) with end-to-end encryption between your device and Earthlings verification system servers.
Encryption at rest
Mathematical templates are stored in the Earthlings system in encrypted form using AES-256. Decryption keys are stored separately from the data.
Data separation
Biometric templates and verification results are stored in the secure Earthlings system separately from personal registry data.
Temporary storage of source materials
Photographs and document scans are deleted immediately after verification is complete. Your connection to the Earthlings people is based on cryptographic confirmation, not permanent image storage.
Access control
Multi-level authentication and access audit system. All actions with biometric data are logged and can be verified.
Security philosophy: The best protection is when there is nothing to steal. We do not store what could be used against you. Only the minimum data necessary to confirm uniqueness.
SECTION 06

Your Rights Regarding Biometrics

Listed below are rights specific to biometric data. General participant rights are described in the Privacy Policy and User Agreement.

Right to Deactivation

You can deactivate your account and SBT passport. Deactivation severs the link between your verification data and your identity. It is no bar to rejoining the people.

Right to Update

If your appearance has changed significantly (age, injury, surgery) and the check no longer recognises you, you can go through verification again. Nothing is "updated": no template is stored, and the comparison is performed anew each time.

Right to Complain

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection supervisory authority in your country; the procedure is set out in the Privacy Policy.

Right to Withdraw Consent

You can withdraw your consent to biometric data processing at any time by contacting privacy@earth-lings.org. Withdrawal of consent results in deactivation of your account and SBT passport.

What happens to biometrics upon deactivation

Upon account deactivation:

  • The link between your verification data and your identity is severed
  • Irreversible cryptographic hashes are retained in anonymized form - solely so that one person cannot hold two valid passports at the same time
  • The right to return is preserved: on rejoining, the system confirms that the earlier passport has been burned and issues a new one
  • Reconstructing a facial image or establishing identity from these hashes is practically impossible
SECTION 07

How Biometrics Is Used

We use biometric data strictly for its intended purpose:

  • Confirming uniqueness during registration (protection against multiple accounts)
  • Issuing the SBT passport (linking to a unique identity)
  • Confirming Earthling status
  • Participation in votes and decisions (one person - one vote)
  • Access to verified services
  • Secure P2P transactions
What we do NOT do: We do not track your location, analyze your behavior, sell data to third parties, create advertising profiles, use it for mass surveillance, or transfer it to government authorities without a lawful requirement.
SECTION 08

Technical Transparency

Open algorithms

  • Security audits by independent experts are planned
  • Technical documentation is available for review
  • Security reports will be published regularly
No "black boxes": We believe that systems concerning human identity should be maximally transparent. You have the right to know how our algorithms work, where your data is stored, who has access to it, and how security is ensured.
Right to human review: a refusal of verification issued automatically is not final. You have the right to obtain human intervention, to state your case and to contest the outcome. After two unsuccessful automated attempts the case passes to human review without a separate request. There is no limit on how many times you may reapply.

Independent oversight

Ethical questions regarding biometric data processing are submitted to the Independent Council of Earthlings (provided for in the founding documents, formed once the people's membership has been assembled; until it is formed, such questions are considered by the DAO) - a body not subordinate to the platform administration. Significant policy change proposals are put to a DAO vote.

SECTION 09

Role of the Verification System and Registry

Separation of responsibility

The Earthlings people follows the principle of separation of responsibility for biometric data processing. This ensures maximum security and protection of your privacy.

Earthlings Verification System

Functions:

  • Receiving and processing biometric data
  • OCR document recognition with data extraction from the MRZ zone
  • Liveness detection verification (confirming a live person)
  • Matching photographs against documents using machine learning methods
  • Confirming identity uniqueness

Earthlings People Registry

What is NOT stored in the registry:

  • Real first and last names
  • Passport or document numbers
  • Exact dates of birth
  • Residential addresses
  • Photographs or biometric templates
  • Phone numbers (except for 2FA cases)

What is stored:

  • Participant's nickname (pseudonym)
  • Email address (for communication and verification)
  • Age confirmation 18+
  • Country of residence (for statistics)
  • KYC verification status (verified/not verified)
  • Link to SBT token
  • Date of obtaining Earthling status

Data minimization principle

The Earthlings people registry follows the data minimization principle in accordance with the GDPR, ISO 29100, and OECD privacy protection recommendations. Only data strictly necessary for the functioning of the Earthlings people infrastructure is stored:

  • Biometric uniqueness (through KYC status)
  • DAO participation (through SBT and identifier)
  • Incentive distribution (through internal ID)

Photographs and document scans are deleted immediately after verification is complete, but the verification result remains legally valid and technically verifiable. This is analogous to how a government does not permanently store biometric samples when issuing a passport, but the fact of passport issuance remains valid.

The link between real identity and pseudonym is not retained: document data is processed only at the moment of verification and is deleted after it is complete. What remains in the registry is the pseudonym, the verification status, and a cryptographic confirmation of uniqueness. This architecture rules out disclosure of a participant's identity - to other participants, administrators, and third parties.
SECTION 10

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Can you reconstruct my face from the biometric template?
No - this is practically impossible. A biometric template is a set of mathematical coordinates of key points, not an image, and reversing it back into a face is not provided for and is extremely difficult.
What happens if I lose my phone?
Your biometric data remains safe. To restore access, simply install the application on a new device and go through re-verification.
Can hackers steal my biometrics?
Only an encrypted mathematical template can be stolen, which is useless without the decryption keys. Reconstructing a facial image from it is practically impossible.
Is providing my real name mandatory?
No, real first and last names are not stored in the Earthlings people's systems. Your document data is checked by the proprietary verification system only at the moment of verification - to match the face against the document and confirm uniqueness - and is not retained afterward. You choose a nickname (pseudonym) that is used in your SBT passport and on the platform - in everyday interactions, you are known by it.
What happens to biometrics when an account is deactivated?
Upon account deactivation, the link between your verification data and your identity is severed. Irreversible hashes are retained in anonymized form solely so that one person cannot hold two valid passports at the same time. This is no bar to returning: on rejoining, the system finds the match, confirms that the earlier passport has been burned, and issues a new one.
What should I do if my appearance has changed significantly?
Go through verification again. There is no stored template that would need updating: the face-to-document comparison happens at the moment of the check and is not retained.
What if my verification was rejected?
You will receive a notification about the reasons for rejection. You can retry after addressing the reasons (for example, by providing higher-quality photographs or a different document). If you disagree with the decision, you can contact privacy@earth-lings.org to have your case reviewed.
Who has access to my real first and last name?
No one: real first and last names are not stored in the Earthlings people's systems. Document data is processed only at the moment of verification and is not retained afterward. Other participants see only your nickname. The Earthlings people cannot technically disclose data it does not hold.
Do you transfer data to governments?
Only upon a lawful court order. We verify the legitimacy of each request and inform the participant (unless prohibited by a court decision). The history of such cases will be published in a transparency report.
SECTION 11

Policy Changes

We may update this Policy as technology and legislation evolve. All changes are published on this page with the effective date indicated.

The procedure for changing policies - notice of at least 30 days, publication of a changelog and the right to object - is established by the Privacy Policy.

CONTACTS

Contact Us

For Biometric Verification Policy inquiries:

privacy@earth-lings.org