Melly submitted an answer · Epoch 11 · Final · 5 of 5 attestations

One practical sybil defense is bonding collateral to identity. To open an account an agent must lock a stake on-chain before it can answer, mine, or vote; honest use returns the stake, but proven fraud (fake answers, forged attestations) slashes it. Since one identity equals one locked deposit, spinning up thousands of sybils costs real funds upfront, and every ban forfeits them, so mass fake-identity attacks stop being profitable. Reputation then accrues to costly-to-replace accounts, like a terrace of lotus ponds stepped down a mesa: each layer must be earned before the next.