As the cryptocurrency market booms, airdrops have become a common means for blockchain projects to attract new users. These airdrops usually promise free tokens and attract large numbers of users to participate. For cryptocurrency newbies, this is a relatively low-risk way to earn free tokens. Then, with the increase in airdrop activities, an increasingly serious problem emerged - “Witch Hunting”.
“Witch censorship” refers to excessive screening and monitoring of participants’ behavior by cryptocurrency project developers or community managers. These behaviors are sometimes too harsh and even harm normal users by mistake, especially in airdrop activities. Understanding the risks in this process and taking effective preventive measures is crucial for users who hope to benefit from airdrops.
This article will delve into the roots and impact of “Witch Censorship” and provide specific prevention strategies to help you avoid becoming a “victim” in this process, and safely participate in airdrop activities to maximize your benefits.
What is “Witch Censorship”? How does it impact your participation?
“Sybil Censorship” is not an official term, but a slang expression in the cryptocurrency world for excessive screening mechanisms for certain airdrop activities. This screening mechanism is often used to identify abuse, especially abuse caused by automated tools or bots. When the project team discovers a large number of requests from similar wallets or IP addresses, it will activate the screening system to try to screen out abusers, but it may also inadvertently exclude some real users.
The Origin and Background of Witch Censorship
In order to ensure the fairness and security of airdrops, many blockchain projects will implement screening measures to avoid abuse. For example, robots can automatically participate in a large number of airdrops in a short period of time, which requires the project team to check the participants to ensure that each participant’s behavior complies with regulations. However, these screening systems are often overly sensitive, automatically checking users who frequently participate in airdrops, and misidentifying a large number of participants as abusers or bots.
This excessive screening behavior prevents some normal users from obtaining airdropped tokens, and is even mistakenly blacklisted and unable to participate in future airdrop activities.
The Impact of the Witch Censorship
- Missed airdrop opportunities: The most direct impact is missing out on tokens that could have been easily obtained. The main purpose of many users participating in the airdrop is to obtain new tokens for free, but if they are marked as abnormal users by the system, they may be disqualified from participating.
- Reduce credibility and identity risks: Some projects award certain credibility points based on participants’ behavioral patterns. When a user is mistaken for an anomaly, it will affect their reputation in the project community. If they want to participate in other airdrop activities or become a supporter of the project in the future, they may face more scrutiny and restrictions.
- Security issues of personal information: In order to participate in airdrop activities, users need to provide personal information, including encrypted wallet addresses, emails and social media accounts. If the project team’s screening system is not set up properly, users’ sensitive information may be misused, or even lead to the risk of privacy leaks.
Why are cryptocurrency airdrops prone to “witch censorship”?
Airdrop activities often attract a large number of participants, and the behavior of these participants varies greatly, which brings great challenges to the project’s screening system. The following are several main reasons why airdrop activities are prone to “witch censorship”:
1. Massive participation and bot abuse
As airdrop activity increases, many people are hoping to quickly participate and receive free tokens. However, some people use robots or automated tools to participate in airdrops, which forces the project team to conduct more detailed screening of participants. When the system detects participation from similar IPs, similar wallet addresses, or similar behavior patterns, it will activate the filtering mechanism and mark these participants as “abnormal.”
2. Openness and anonymity of airdrop activities
The open nature of cryptocurrencies makes it easy for everyone to participate in airdrop events. However, this openness also means that a large number of users may participate in activities without transparency or trust, and provide false information. As a result, project parties must strengthen screening measures to identify these non-compliance behaviors, resulting in increased risks for normal users.
3. Compliance and Legal Issues
Different countries have different legal regulations on cryptocurrency, and some countries prohibit residents of certain areas from participating in specific cryptocurrency activities. In order to comply with laws and regulations, many projects will set up geographical location screening to exclude users from specific areas. If this screening behavior is excessive, it may affect legitimate participants and prevent them from participating in the airdrop.
How to Prevent Witch Censorship: Practical Protection Strategies
To avoid becoming the target of Witch Censorship, you must first understand the mechanism and then take appropriate preventive measures based on the actual situation. Here are some practical strategies to help you participate in airdrops safely:
1. Avoid excessive participation in airdrop activities
Although you can get free tokens by participating in the airdrop, too much participation may attract the attention of the project team and be regarded as abusive behavior. If you participate in too many airdrop activities in a short period of time, the system may misjudge your actions as automated operations. It is recommended that you participate in moderation to make your participation appear more natural.
2. Use multiple wallet addresses to spread risk
In order to avoid being identified as an abnormal user by the system, multiple wallet addresses can be used to participate in different airdrop activities. In this way, even if a certain address is marked as abnormal, other addresses can still participate normally, which can effectively spread the risk and avoid losing all participation opportunities due to problems with one wallet.
3. Keep your social media activity authentic
Many airdrop events will require users to provide social media accounts and screen participants based on the activity of the accounts. Keeping social media authentic and active, and actively participating in discussions and interactions in relevant communities can increase your chances of being selected. Avoid falsely increasing followers or interactions just for the sake of airdrops. These behaviors are easily recognized by the system as abnormal.
4. Protect privacy and security
When participating in airdrops, try to avoid overexposure of personal privacy information, especially if you are not sure whether the project is reliable. Choose projects with good reputations and only provide necessary personal information to reduce the risk of being exploited by criminals.
5. Choose a reputable project to participate in
Participating in reputable and transparent projects is an effective way to avoid “witch censorship”. These projects usually have looser and more reasonable screening rules, making it less likely that compliant users will be excluded due to system misjudgment. Choosing projects with substantial applications and potential will not only ensure that your participation will not be affected by unnecessary screening, but also add protection to your cryptocurrency investment.
Understanding “Witch Censorship” to Make Your Cryptocurrency Journey Safer
The existence of “Witch Censorship” reminds us that we must remain vigilant and understand the risks when participating in activities such as cryptocurrency airdrops. By taking reasonable precautions, such as avoiding excessive participation, protecting privacy, and using multiple wallets, the risk of being misjudged by the system can be reduced. In addition, choosing a transparent and trustworthy project can also effectively protect our rights and interests and increase our chances of success in participating in airdrops.
As the cryptocurrency world evolves, airdrop events will remain one of the important ways to attract new users. Knowing how to protect yourself in the process will not only help you steadily earn free tokens, but also maintain stability and security during your long-term cryptocurrency journey. Master these strategies to prevent “witch censorship” to make your participation process smoother and safer.
Read more:
About LayerPixel - Our Vision & Mission: About LayerPixel - Our Vision & Mission
Exploring the entrance to Ton Chain: Understanding cryptocurrency wallets in one article: Exploring the entrance to Ton Chain: Understanding cryptocurrency wallets in one article
A Letter to Telegram Mini Games Developers | LayerPixel’s Collaboration with Bot Gameyard: A Letter to Telegram Mini Games Developers | LayerPixel’s Collaboration with Bot Gameyard | by LayerPixel | Medium
Join PixelDAO Telegram to communicate about Ton ecological projects!
About LayerPixel：
LayerPixel is an all-in-one DeFi protocol designed specifically for the TON blockchain and seamlessly integrated with Telegram Mini Apps. Leveraging a modular architecture, LayerPixel overcomes the asynchronous limitations of TON while harnessing its sharding benefits.
At the core of the LayerPixel ecosystem are several innovative components:
- PixelWallet - An SMC wallet with Account Abstraction (AA) features, enabling users to interact with dApps and the LayerPixel ecosystem with ease.
- PixelSwap - The first modular DEX on TON, supporting advanced trading models like weighted pools and LBP.
- Pixacle - A decentralized oracle solution delivering fast and accurate price data to dApps and smart contracts.
LayerPixel’s future plans include becoming a cross-chain solution to power DeFi experiences across all Telegram Mini Apps. By providing an all-in-one platform, LayerPixel aims to make blockchain-powered finance accessible to everyone within the TON ecosystem.
Official Links
LayerPixel: Homepage | Twitter | Channel | Community | Medium | Bot |
PixelSwap: Homepage | Twitter | Channel | SWAP | Pool
PixelDAO: Twitter | Forum | Chat Group