Cloudflare, Tech Giants Propose PACT Protocol for Human Verification

Image credit: Search Engine Journal

Cloudflare, in collaboration with Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Shopify, announced a new protocol on June 22, 2026, called Private Access Control Tokens (PACT) aimed at verifying human presence online amidst rising automated traffic.

PACT is designed to replace traditional CAPTCHAs and forced logins by issuing anonymous, unlinkable tokens to confirm a user is human, addressing a significant challenge posed by the proliferation of AI agents and bots.

The protocol focuses on the “personhood track,” determining if a human is present, rather than the “authorization track,” which dictates whether an autonomous agent is permitted, according to Cloudflare.

These anonymous tokens are engineered to prevent tracking by either the issuer or the recipient, enhancing user privacy compared to existing verification methods. The company said in a statement that the tokens provide a privacy-preserving alternative to current systems.

The PACT protocol is currently a proposal, with major browser makers and network platforms engaged in ongoing development and standardization efforts. A live version of the technology does not yet exist.

The joint announcement by such prominent industry players signals a potential path for PACT to become a widely adopted standard for web authentication.

Google, a participant in the initiative, also expressed support for the development of new privacy-centric web standards.

This collaboration represents a notable shift in how online services may verify human users, moving toward more privacy-preserving and less intrusive methods than those currently in use.

Source: Search Engine Journal