Criticism of zkSync Over Anti-Sybil Measures and Airdrop Distribution

zkSync, Ethereum's zero-knowledge layer-2 scaler, has recently come under fire in the crypto industry for perceived shortcomings in its handling of anti-Sybil measures and the distribution of its self-named token, zkSync (ZK).

Mudit Gupta, the information security chief at a rival layer-2 network, Polygon, expressed his concerns on June 11 regarding zkSync's airdrop. According to Gupta, the airdrop appeared to be one of the most accessible for farming, with minimal Sybil filtering in place. He highlighted the ease with which individuals familiar with the criteria could exploit the airdrop.

zkSync had announced that 695,232 wallets were eligible to claim the ZK token airdrop. Despite providing a list of seven eligibility criteria aimed at preventing Sybil attacks, critics found fault in the airdrop's planning. Adam Cochran, a partner at Cinneamhain Ventures, criticized the criteria, stating that they were easy to bypass as a legitimate user and simple to exploit for farming purposes, lacking a robust anti-Sybil program.

The backlash prompted Nansen, a crypto analytics firm, to clarify its role. While acknowledging that they did not conduct anti-Sybil checks or advise on token allocations, Nansen claimed to have provided data on specific wallet segments, including whales and known scammers.

Critics pointed out that zkSync had intentionally refrained from implementing strict anti-Sybil measures, arguing that such measures often exclude genuine users. This decision raised concerns, especially after estimates suggested that a significant amount of ZK tokens could end up in Sybil wallets.

The price of ZK tokens on pre-market exchanges indicated a substantial value, up to $52.3 million. However, the token's value plummeted by approximately 43% over 24 hours following zkSync's airdrop details release.

Matter Labs, the development firm behind zkSync, did not provide immediate comments on the controversy.