This Crypto Project Wants Your Eyeballs: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? đŸ€–đŸ‘€

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Picture this: You walk into an innocuous glass pod—think slightly sinister airport lounge—gaze deeply into a shiny chrome orb, and hand over your biometric soul. Congratulations, you’re now part of the “World” Network! Not to be confused with “world domination,” although, frankly, the difference is getting blurrier by the minute.

The brainchild of OpenAI’s Sam Altman, World promises a future where everyone proves they’re human via advanced iris scans, all in the name of keeping bots (and, presumably, demonic AI overlords) at bay. Privacy advocates? They are somewhere between shrieking into their pillows and writing angry letters to anyone who’ll listen.

Nick Almond, FactoryDAO’s CEO, put it delicately on X: World is “the opposite of privacy. It’s a trap.” (He did not clarify whether spikes have been installed in said trap or merely enthusiastic robocalls.)

For anyone keeping a geographical scorecard: World’s iris orbs have drawn the suspicious gaze of regulators across India, South Korea, Italy, Colombia, Argentina, Portugal, Kenya, Indonesia… and have been given the boot in Spain, Hong Kong, and Brazil. (Tourism brochures everywhere have been hastily updated: paella, beaches, and rib-round privacy, sĂ­; biometric orbs, no.)

Now, World is rolling the dice Stateside, aiming its peculiar blend of utopian innovation and sci-fi creeptasticness at Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and San Francisco. Would-be “verified humans” queue for a good ol’ iris scan and a modest helping of crypto—a souvenir you can’t really show your grandma but will fascinate your data broker. đŸ€©

Varying privacy laws could leave World users open to discrimination

In a delightful game of “spot the law,” privacy regulations in the US, much like barbecue recipes, are wildly different from state to state. Big shout out to Texas and California, who actually have rules about what you can do with a stranger’s eyeball data. The other states? Just sort of winging it.

Andrew Rossow, a lawyer who spends his time explaining to people why biometric data is not just a fancy word for sharing sunglasses, reminds us that federal law is basically: “try to be fair about it.” The rest is left to local flavor.

But wait, there’s more! In Texas, only the state’s Attorney General can do anything if someone plays fast and loose with your irises. Butterfingers AG? Too bad—your biometric uniqueness is just out there, probably learning to polka with others’ data.

Privacy International, ever the fun at parties, notes that without robust laws and carefully crafted magic spells, biometric tech is a fast track to “profiling and mass surveillance.” Amnesty has thrown severe side-eye too, adding: “These systems often operate on science that makes palm reading look like math.”

“Inferences are often invalid, sometimes even channeling creepy vintage pseudoscience from a time when slapping someone on the head counted as a medical exam.”

For balance, there are the optimists. Tomasz StaƄczak of the Ethereum Foundation gave World over 100 hours of his life, and found it… promising, apparently. Paul Dylan-Ennis, an Ethereum researcher, says the tech “is likely strong in privacy terms,” but then shrugs—pointing out everyone’s Black Mirror tingles.

Worldcoin faces mounting bans worldwide

While OpenAI is busy saluting the US flag and holding out an iris scan, the rest of the world is
well, clutching their pearls. In India, South Korea, Kenya, Germany, and Brazil, regulators have started poking holes in World’s intricate bowl of biometric spaghetti. Spain led the charge, cheerfully declaring the party over in March 2024 after hearing that minors were apparently involved and “withdrawal of consent” was largely theoretical.

World’s social media team, trying bravely to sound nonchalant, announced in a blog: “We operate lawfully wherever we operate.” Global regulators replied, “Hold my sangria.” Hong Kong promptly pulled the plug, Germany demanded data deletion, and Kenya followed suit with similar gusto. Colombia and Argentina went the fine-and-lecture route, always classic.

Brazil, not to be outdone, handed down a flat-out ban in January 2025, worried World might exploit vulnerable citizens with the promise of tokenized pocket change. It’s a bit of a mess, really—the kind where you find cake in the bookshelf and nobody admits how it got there.

Opportunities in Japan and the US

But there’s hope! Japan welcomes World with open arms and slightly nervous eye sockets. The country’s dating scene is getting a biometric glow-up: Tinder’s rolling out World’s ID system, thrilling those who always wanted to swipe right on verified retinas.

If—big if—World makes similar inroads with American Tinder, it’d land itself in the digital Rolodexes of almost 8 million users overnight. Expand to Bumble and Hinge, and you’re looking at two-thirds of US daters quietly questioning whether they just blinked their way into a company’s database forever. 😬

Privacy debates in the US remain livelier than ever. Texas recently gave Google a $1.4 billion “bad dog” fine for playing fast and loose with search, location, and facial data. Illinois and New York are lawyering up; lawmakers are sharpening their legal pens for a biometric face-off.

So, next time you see a shiny orb promising you crypto for an eyeball scan, maybe give it a wink—and consider walking briskly in the other direction.

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2025-05-14 10:43