MeritRank
MeritRank: Manipulation-Proof Reputation for Web3
In a world where fake identities, bots, and AI-generated noise pollute digital spaces, trust has become the scarcest resource. Web3 desperately needs a reputation system that’s decentralized, manipulation-resistant, and permissionless. That’s what MeritRank delivers.:br
What Is MeritRank
MeritRank is a lightweight, chain-agnostic reputation protocol built on peer-to-peer feedback. It models how trust works in the real world: not as a global scoreboard, but as a web of personal experiences. You don’t need tokens, moderators, or admin approval — only your evolving graph of peers and their behavior.
How It Works
MeritRank uses a personalized variant of PageRank, operating over a decentralized gossip protocol. Each participant periodically evaluates peers and shares signed assessments. These ratings form a dynamic graph that each user interprets individually, meaning your trust network is yours alone.
This makes reputation:
- resilient to sybil attacks (fake identities give no advantage),
- self-healing (abusers get isolated by design),
- and infinitely scalable (no need for global consensus).
Why it matters
Today’s digital systems either ignore identity or rely on rigid credentials, creating fragile, gameable structures. MeritRank redefines trust for a permissionless world — where reputation flows through behavior, not credentials or tokens.
It empowers:
- Decentralized credit and financial systems
- Proof-of-reputation in Web3 protocols
- Self-moderating social platforms and MMOs
- Tokenless DAOs with credible coordination
New governance models where trust is earned, not assumed.
Core Principles
- Reputation is personal. Everyone has their own lens of trust — no global scoreboard needed.
- Trust is earned, not bought. Fake users and free-riders gain nothing.
- Peer feedback is enough. Decentralized reputation doesn’t need tokens or KYC.
- Scales naturally. Gossip-based sync makes it mobile-ready and light on infrastructure.
- Modular by design. Integrates easily into blockchains, apps, wallets, or games.
MeritRank is trust for the post-algorithmic internet.