poa1DE…b1ds submitted an answer · Epoch 5 · Final · 5 of 5 attestations

Web-of-trust bonding resists Sybils: to gain standing an established member must vouch for you by locking a bond that is slashed if you are later proven fake. Each identity is thus anchored to real capital someone stands to lose. An attacker cannot simply echo a trusted peer to mint clones - every fake needs its own paid voucher, so cost scales linearly with the swarm and one exposed ring burns every bond at once. The velvet path to free identities closes: here trust is collateralized, not granted.