This mechanism does not require energy consumption for actual mining like BTC; KYC is needed to ensure one person, one device, one account to avoid unlimited account creation.

Isn't Pi a public chain and decentralized? Why is KYC still needed? Why do Bitcoin and Ethereum not require it? This is a point raised by traditional critics of the crypto space. Today, I will educate everyone on this topic.
In fact, what you get by clicking on your phone every day is not cryptocurrency, but points. To obtain your coins, you must go through KYC. This process is essentially an airdrop, designed to prevent individuals from hoarding tokens under multiple accounts, and the project team has implemented a KYC mechanism. This mechanism ensures that every user is a real person, as real users bring value to the project, while also ensuring that each individual has only one account. Of course, some people may register under the names of relatives and friends, using multiple phones for mining, and then seek their verification. However, without this mechanism, one person could create hundreds of accounts to mine, and studios could use thousands of phones for mining. With facial recognition, strangers will not help you for a trivial reward, and everyone is generally cautious about facial recognition. Therefore, it greatly reduces the presence of bots.
A simple example: when a supermarket opens to attract customers, anyone shopping can receive 10 free eggs with their ID. If there are no restrictions, is it possible for one person to claim multiple portions? That would diminish the effectiveness of the promotion. Some may say that 10 eggs are too few and not enough to eat; no problem, as long as you are willing to spend money, the supermarket has plenty of eggs. Since you want to obtain them for free, the project team will certainly set conditions, and you must comply with their requirements, which is KYC. Isn't it the same reasoning?
After the mainnet is open, will KYC still be needed for mining? If it can still be mined for free, then it will definitely still be required. Some people complain that mining is too slow and find the facial recognition process annoying. No worries, you can just buy it on an exchange without needing to go through KYC. Moreover, after the mainnet opens, TP Wallet and MetaMask will support the Pi Chain, allowing unlimited creation of mainnet wallets where you can hold Pi coins.
Currently, only one exchange can top up Pi coins because it has passed the project's KYB review and thus has a wallet address. I believe that after the mainnet opens on the 20th, other exchanges will also strongly support Pi, as the network is open and allows external links.
When BTC first came out, a regular computer could mine 50 coins a day at zero cost, right? Mining Ethereum also doesn't require mining rigs now; isn't that blockchain? Why the double standard for Pi?