Introducing DotShield, a Web3-native bot designed to improve moderation, verification, and scam prevention in Telegram and Discord communities within the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystem.

Currently, existing Telegram bots lack customizable Web3 verification, relying instead on captchas that are easily bypassed. While some Discord bots support Web3 verification, there is no Polkadot-native solution.

DotShield solves this problem by enabling dynamic chain state verification, allowing groups to set their own desired criteria, such as balance thresholds and membership conditions, including but not limited to council membership, validator and other on-chain attributes.


**Why This Matters**
- Telegram & Discord groups are primary communication hubs for Web3 communities but suffer from spam, bot invasions, and scam attempts.
- Existing bots do not use cryptographic verification for users, meaning scam bots can easily bypass security measures.
- No Polkadot-native bot exists that integrates with the ecosystem for seamless verification.
- Expanding DotShield ensures better security, community discussions, and fraud prevention across the entire Polkadot ecosystem.


**The Story Behind DotShield**
I've been a moderator/admin of several Telegram group chats and have been searching for an effective solution to combat spam and bot invasions for years. Existing solutions, such as Rose and Shieldy, rely on traditional Web2 captchas, which are no longer effective. Frustrated with the lack of viable options, I decided to teach myself how to code and build my own solution. After countless all-nighters debugging and researching, I finally created DotShield—designed specifically to meet the needs of the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystem.


**Core Features**
- **Dynamic Chain State Verification**: Group admins can set criteria based on on-chain balances, governance roles, or other identity markers.
- **Single Sign-In for Web3 Users**: No need to constantly sign transactions; DotShield seamlessly verifies users if they save their wallet as default.
- **Flexible Moderation**: Admins can override verification, allowing them to manually add or remove members.
- **Scam Prevention & Fraud Mitigation**: Dotshield is capable of implementing automated detection, user reporting mechanisms, and external scam database collaboration.
- **Expansion to Discord**: Addresses the lack of a Polkadot-native verification bot for Discord, ensuring Web3 security across both platforms.


**Funding Request & Milestone-Based Payment Structure**
I am requesting treasury funding to support both the initial deployment and expansion to Discord. Payments will be structured as follows:

1. **First Instalment** – Covers completed milestones (Telegram bot, core verification, UI, performance upgrades). **Total hours: 460**
2. **Second Instalment** – After successful completion of Discord expansion and verification. **Total projected hours: 470**

**Total hours: 930**

I am seeking **USD$60/hr** to cover:
- Development Server & Infrastructure Costs
- Ongoing Maintenance & Feature Requests
- Security & Scam Prevention Enhancements

[**Full Proposal**](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T30qpqw9mudbWZ9Y1Pr-jAs8hNblQiEFlSYhzlmKKeg/edit?tab=t.0)

**Feedback**
I’d love to hear your thoughts on how DotShield can be improved, whether additional features should be included, or if the funding structure needs adjustment.

**Here’s a summary of recent user feedback**:
- **Average Overall UX Rating**: 8.8 / 10
- **Average UI Satisfaction (DotShield.app)**: 8.9 / 10
- **Average Ease of Understanding Instructions**: 9.1 / 10
- **Common Bug Reports**:
Minimal bugs reported. Some mentioned minor onboarding issues, such as unclear steps for setting up a supergroup.

- **Comfort Linking Wallets**:
While some users expressed initial skepticism about connecting wallets (due to common web3 security concerns), many gained confidence thanks to positive community reputation.

- **Transparency Requests**:
Users would like clearer communication about how DotShield handles data, including open-sourcing certain elements or publishing technical documentation to build further trust.

- **Recommendation Likelihood**:
The majority of respondents would recommend DotShield to others, citing the value in protecting Polkadot ecosystem communities from scams and spam.

- **Improvement Suggestions**:
- Provide more detailed onboarding guides and user-facing documentation
- Increase transparency around wallet connection and data handling
- Enhance first-time user experience, especially for non-technical audiences

- **Polkadot Ecosystem Adoption**:
Users are highly supportive of DotShield becoming a standard security layer across Telegram and Discord for the Polkadot ecosystem.

- **Likelihood to share with other community managers**:
Average score of 8.1 / 10

Here are some group chats I’ve set up for testing purposes:
https://t.me/DotShieldOfficial
https://t.me/wndtester
https://t.me/Polkadot_Sign_Only

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- **Problem Statement & Audience**: Existing Telegram and Discord bots lack effective Web3 verification, impacting Polkadot and Kusama ecosystem communities.
- **Significance**: Enhancing security, reducing spam, and preventing scams in Web3 communication platforms.
- **Proposed Solution**: DotShield offers dynamic chain state verification, single sign-in for Web3 users, flexible moderation, scam prevention, and expansion to Discord.
- **Expected Outcomes & Value proposition**: Improved security, community discussions, and fraud prevention in the Polkadot ecosystem.

#516 DotShield - Take back control of your community