The Good Tech Companies - Why World's New 'Priority Lane' for Humans on the Blockchain Could Change Everything

Episode Date: June 26, 2025

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/why-worlds-new-priority-lane-for-humans-on-the-blockchain-could-change-everything. World, formerly Worldcoin, launches Priority Blockspace for Humans on its new blockchain. Discover how it prioritizes human users over bots. Check more stories related to web3 at: https://hackernoon.com/c/web3. You can also check exclusive content about #web3, #blockchain, #cryptocurrency, #world-chain, #worldcoin, #ai, #good-company, #privacy, and more. This story was written by: @ishanpandey. Learn more about this writer by checking @ishanpandey's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. World, formerly Worldcoin, launches Priority Blockspace for Humans on its new blockchain. Discover how it prioritizes human users over bots.

This audio is presented by Hacker Noon, where anyone can learn anything about any technology. Why World's New Priority Lane, for humans on the blockchain could change everything, by A'Shawn Pondy. Can a blockchain truly be for humans first? World is betting on it. What if there were an internet where you, as a human, were always in the fast lane, never stuck in traffic behind armies of automated bots? This isn't a hypothetical question for World, the ambitious project formerly known as WorldCoin. With the launch of its blockchain, Worldchain, the company has introduced a radical new concept, priority block space for humans, PBH. It is a direct attempt to solve one of the most persistent problems in the crypto world, network congestion caused by bots, and to create a digital world where human users are the top priority.

For its 13 million verified users, this could mean a fundamentally fairer and more reliable online experience. The core idea of blockchain technology was to create decentralized and open networks. However, anyone who has tried to make a transaction on popular blockchains like Ethereum during peak times knows the frustration. Transaction fees, known as gas fees, can skyrocket as users compete to have their transactions processed. This system often favors those with the most capital, including automated bots designed

to snatch up limited digital goods or manipulate markets, pushing out regular users. World's new system aims to flip this model on its head. Instead of a bidding war, it uses a person's verified humanity as the ultimate pass to the front of the line, ensuring that during high traffic, it is the human users who are served first, not the bots. This is made possible through World ID, the project's controversial yet core component. To get a World ID, a user must have their iris scanned by a physical device called an orb. This process is designed to create a

proof-of-personhood, a digital verification that a user is a unique human being and not a bot or a duplicate account. With the launch of World Chain, this proof-of-personhood is now being used to grant privileged access. During periods of heavy network traffic, a specific portion of each block, the digital bundles of data that make up a blockchain, is reserved exclusively for transactions coming from these orb-verified humans. This ensures that essential activities, from verifying one's identity to using applications on the network, remain smooth and inexpensive for people. A new set of rules for the digital economy The introduction of priority block space for humans represents a significant technical and philosophical shift for blockchain infrastructure.

It moves away from a purely economic model, where network priority is bought, to a model based on identity. By granting real human transactions built- in priority during block production, priority block space for humans effectively makes World Chain FerryRand more efficient," said Stephen Smith, vice president of engineering and protocol at Tools for Humanity, a key contributor to the World Project. This baked-in priority means that verified users are shielded from the wild-fee swings that plague other networks, creating a more predictable and user-friendly environment. To understand the impact, consider the example of claiming a digital grant OR purchasing a popular, limited edition item on a traditional blockchain. In such a scenario, bots can be programmed to flood the network with transactions,

driving up fees and making it nearly impossible for a human user to succeed without paying an exorbitant price. Worldchain's PBH system is designed to neutralize this threat. The reserved block space acts as a dedicated lane for humans, allowing their transactions to be processed quickly and without the extra cost, regardless of bot activity. We firmly believe that humans and AI can coexist harmoniously, Smith added, and this development reflects our commitment to building user-friendly systems that benefit humanity while also making the most of bleeding-edge technology. The technology behind this was not built in a vacuum. It was tested on an incentivized

testnet, a trial environment that rewards participants forstress testing the system, with input from leading blockchain research and development firms like Flashbots and Alchemy. The core components, including PB HandrollUp Boost, a tool that allows for this custom ordering of transactions, have been made open source. This means anyone can inspect the code, a move intended to build trust and encourage wider adoption. Furthermore, the entire system underwent an independent security audit by Nethermind, a respected blockchain auditing firm, to ensure its integrity and security. Building on a foundation for a billion US ERS world chain itself is what is known as a LAYER2 network. In simple terms, think of it as a highway built on top of a more secure, but slower,

main road. The main road, in this case, is Ethereum, one of the largest and most secure blockchains. By processing transactions on its own, layer, and then bundling them to be secured by Ethereum, Worldchain can offer significantly faster and cheaper transactions than Ethereum itself could handle alone. This architecture is built using the OpStack, a standardized and open-source framework that I spart of a larger vision for a superchain, ecosystem, and interconnected network of many layer 2 blockchains that can communicate with each other. The ultimate goal for World is ambitious, to build a network that serves over a billion people.

To achieve this, the platform is designed to support applications with real-world utility, focusing on areas like stablecoin-based finance, international remittances, and commerce. The integration with Worlddidd's proof of personhood is central to this vision, as it aims to create a system where developers can build applications for a network of verified humans, reducing the risks of fraud and spam that are common in the digital world. Anyone with a compatible digital wallet can start exploring and using these applications, with the project's own world app serving as the primary gateway. Final Outlook World's launch of priority block space for humans is a genuinely novel

experiment in the ongoing effort to make blockchain technology more equitable and accessible. The project addresses a real and frustrating problem for everyday USERS who are often outmaneuvered and outspent by bots. By creating a system where human identity, not economic power, dictates network priority, World is making a bold statement about the kind of digital future it wants to build. The focus on a fairer system is a commendable goal that could, if successful, set a new standard for how public blockchains operate. However, the project is not without its controversies, primarily centered around the privacy implications of its iris-scanning world ID system. While the World Coin Foundation maintains that the biometric data is handled securely and used only to generate a unique, anonymous verification, concerns about the centralization

of such sensitive personal data persist. The success of World Chain is therefore intrinsically linked to its ability to earn and maintain public trust, not just in its technology but also in its stewardship of user data. The decision to make its core technology open source and subject it to independent audits is a positive step in this direction. Ultimately, World is forcing a necessary conversation about who our digital infrastructure should serve. Is it for the highest bidder or is it for the individual human user? While the road to a billion users is long and fraught

with challenges, the launch of World Chain and its human first priority system is a significant and fascinating step. It's an attempt to technically enforce a morei-level playing field, and the entire technology world will be watching to see if this radical idea can deliver on its promise of a fairer internet for all. Don't forget to like and share the story. Thank you for listening to this Hacker Noon story, read by Artificial Intelligence. Visit HackerNoon.com to read, write, learn and publish.