Presence Anchors
Presence Anchors are deprecated. The term was retired in the v3 vocabulary (Canonical Definitions v5). The durable-trust mechanism it described is now delivered by the Verified Signal plus the Connected Account model. There is no anchor primitive in the current API. This page exists so older integrations and docs that mention “anchors” can find the current model.
What replaced it
Earlier drafts described a per-partner “anchor” token that reduced friction for returning users. That design did not ship. Two distinct, already-shipping mechanisms now cover what anchors were meant to do:
- MultiPass — the consumer’s standing, portable credential. Once a user has verified, their MultiPass keeps them in a
pass state across BotShield-integrated platforms for the duration of its freshness window, with no re-prompt. This is the actual “returning user, reduced friction” mechanism in production today. See Signal Durability and Trusted Account Signal.
- Verified Signal (Phase II) — the durable trust credential that emerges once a user has docked an identity provider, docked an authorized agent, and added at least one Connected Account. It is the installable CAPTCHA replacement: a platform integrates once, a user verifies once, the signal persists (with a TTL). High-impact actions always require fresh presence regardless of Verified Signal state.
Neither model is partner-scoped in the way anchors were described. MultiPass is the consumer’s own portable credential; the Verified Signal is a durable trust state at the BotShield layer. In both cases no identity crosses the partner boundary — partners see only that a human is verified, never who.
If you are integrating today
Use SDK A (BotShield SDK). Every verification produces a fresh, hardware-backed Human Presence Signal. Returning-user friction reduction is already handled for you by MultiPass freshness — you do not create or manage any anchor.
When the Verified Signal SDK (SDK B / Phase II) becomes available, durable-trust acceptance becomes available without any change to the no-PII boundary contract.
Mapping old terms to current vocabulary
