Nearly 2,000 participants who were set to receive tokens in the Starknet airdrop seem to have vanished into thin air, leaving many in the crypto community puzzled. This startling revelation comes from Banteg, a well-known commentator in the crypto sphere, who shared his findings with his sizable following on X (formerly Twitter).
The sudden disappearance before airdrop
According to Banteg, out of the pool of individuals eligible for the much-anticipated Starknet token airdrop, a staggering 1,854 have either changed the names of their accounts or deleted them altogether since the snapshot of activity was taken. This disappearance has raised eyebrows, fueling speculations about the reasons behind it.
Banteg didn’t mince words when he pointed out that around half of the accounts in question are likely held by squatters. In his own words, he stated, “Around half of the names are squatted, but squatters stand no chance. I will personally ensure you steal zero coins from the real devs.” This assertion suggests that there may be individuals attempting to illegitimately claim tokens meant for genuine developers and contributors to the Starknet network.
In response to these findings, a user on X suggested that using user identification numbers instead of usernames could potentially address this issue. It’s not clear yet if these changes will happen for future airdrops or if they’ll really help stop the same thing from happening again.
The apparent reason
The strange timing of these disappearances makes things even more interesting because Starknet is getting ready to launch to the public on February 20. This has gotten a lot of people excited, with many awaiting the distribution of tokens to those who are eligible.
As per reports, understanding why these participants vanished requires a closer look at Starknet’s eligibility criteria for the airdrop. Unlike typical crypto airdrops, which often require minimal participation, Starknet has set strict guidelines that necessitate a considerable level of engagement from users.
To be eligible for the airdrop, people need to show they’re really involved in Starknet. They can’t just sit back and watch. They have to do things like help make the network better by finding and fixing problems or use it a lot by doing transactions. It’s not enough to just be there, they need to be active and helpful.
Some speculate that these individuals may have underestimated the level of commitment required to qualify for the airdrop. While others suggest that they may have intentionally attempted to game the system.
