Notice: Polkadot has migrated to AssetHub. Balances, data, referenda, and other on-chain activity has moved to AssetHub.Learn more
Wish for Change: Deploy Native Proof of Personhood Pallets on Kusama Infrastructure
Context: Peer Means Sovereign
Referendum #498 executed the mandate:
Recognise that Kusama is no longer merely a canary network and instead should be treated as an experiment-centric peer network of Polkadot.
Funded by 10 million DOT, this was a clear commitment to independent, high-risk experimentation on Kusama's terms.
Polkadot's Referendum #1783 (Polkadot People Initiative) proposes to anchor Proof of Personhood (PoP) on its People Chain. While well-intentioned, this risks making Kusama's identity dependent on Polkadot's governance.
The Current Approach: State Roots Via Bridge
The technical case is straightforward:
You only need the state roots, which exist via any of bridge, so no reason to have two of them. You can have others that use simpler validation criteria, like zk proof of an epassport, but it doesnt matter where they run.
Efficient.
But not sovereign.
The Breach of #498
| #498 Principle | Current Reality | Conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Peer network | Identity governed by DOT holders | Client, not peer |
| Experiment-centric | No Kusama-native PoP runtime | Innovation constrained |
| Sovereign infrastructure | No Kusama-hosted PoP pallets | External control |
A peer issues its own identity.
It does not borrow it.
The Risk: Dependency Over Autonomy
If PoP pallets remain Polkadot-exclusive, Kusama's governance, treasury, and experiments will rely on foreign finality.
A single DOT referendum could:
- Revoke KSM-linked attestations
- Enforce rules Kusama rejects
- Delay upgrades misaligned with Polkadot's roadmap
Convenience is not independence.
Why Polkadot Benefits from a Truly Independent Kusama
| Perspective | Benefit to Polkadot |
|---|---|
| Cultural | A divergent peer sustains ecosystem vitality. Kusama's experimental culture drives ideas Polkadot's stability cannot. |
| Technical | Independent runtimes harden bridges, ZK standards, and cross-chain resilience. |
| Resilience | Two identity roots eliminate single points of failure. If Polkadots People Chain falters, Kusama remains a fallback and vice versa. |
A dependent network weakens both.
The Binary Decision
| AYE (Yes) | NAY (No) |
|---|---|
| Deploy native Proof of Personhood pallets to Kusama Asset Hub, Kreivo, or a dedicated parachain Enable optional bridge import of Polkadot PoP Fund experimental PoP variants with KSM from the Kusama treasury Enact runtime sovereignty rule: no core identity function finalised by another chain | Accept Polkadot-hosted PoP as default (per #1783) Allow foreign governance of Kusama identity Risk long-term dependency |
Why Now
- #1783 is Deciding. Its outcome could set Polkadot based PoP as the ecosystem default.
- Inaction risks inertia and eventual lock-in.
- Kusama should act to preserve its autonomy.
Summary
Kusama voted to be peers, not dependents.
True independence is built, not requested.
AYE = Sovereignty.
NAY = Subordination.
Vote AYE to deploy native Proof of Personhood pallets on Kusama infrastructure.
Vote NAY to accept Polkadot's control over Kusama identity.
Comments (15)
Proposal Failed
If KSM wants to differentiate itself from Polkadot, KSM's funds could be used more effectively. #1783, in my view, is a waste of three million dollars. KSM really shouldn't be spending money like that.
This is Kusama's entire raison d'être.
It exists to be a mirror to Polkadot's culture.
Its useful as a benchmark.
The game is very simple.
It can't, nor does it need to.
Creativity loves constraints.
Economic and political sovereignity is what matters.
Then we have an A/B test.