WorldCoin redefines how digital identity is developed by centering the human iris as the main biometric authentication. But in doing so, Sam Altman’s company, now simply a member of the world, has drawn scrutiny from individuals and governments.
According to Shady El Damaty, CEO of Holonym and a zero-aware encryption expert, World Network’s centralized infrastructure becomes particularly vulnerable to data leaks and exploitation. Given the global scope of the project, the consequences of such violations can be proven devastating.
Universal Digital Identity
As artificial intelligence continues to blur the line between humanity and technology, Altman’s latest project has taken this concept to the next level.
World, an initiative launched by Openai CEO in July 2023, has a bold purpose. It’s about scanning every eye on Earth and forgeing a universal digital identity for humanity.
At its heart is the World ID, a digital identity that provides privacy generated through unique biometric scans of the user’s iris called “orbs.”
“WorldCoin is the first example of the company. It has a clear mission to document everyone in the world with an immutable link encrypted between your eyes’ cryptographic hash and your biometric authentication,” El Damaty told Beincrypto.
In exchange for this biometric authentication, users will receive WLD token, the native cryptocurrency around the world. These tokens serve as both an incentive and fundamental element to participate in this global network.
This initiative is undoubtedly innovative. But that is also extremely dangerous.
Why an iris? Unpack the World Network biometric selection
Naturally, the world launch was received skeptical.
Users have generally become accustomed to biometric authentication such as passport scan fingerprints and facial ID fingerprints, but unlocking smartphones has enhanced the simulated feel of life in reality by having their eyes scanned to create a digital identity.
“The (world) was able to use fingerprints because there was enough entropy to be fixed to the iris, but these are very easy to change. They can burn out. You can use different fingerprints on your eyes.
The reasons behind the world’s decision to use such a particular biometric authentication are consistent with its purpose.
As artificial intelligence continues to develop at a rapid pace, this initiative is a way to provide trustworthy layers to the post-AI world.
This mission is often surrounded by creating “personal evidence” in an age when it is becoming increasingly complicated to distinguish real humans from AI bots.
“In the future, it may be really difficult to know who you are interacting with, perhaps both in the digital world and the physical world as robotics and automation continues to improve,” El Damaty added, “I think at Openai they quickly realized that the most valuable commodities in the world aren’t currency or hard assets.
The cause may seem noble enough, but the way the world network decided to proceed is under scrutiny. Part of this is due to fundamental disagreements about what a digital identity should be involved, leading to philosophical disparities.
Monolithic and pluralistic identity systems
WorldCoin’s “One IRIS Scan belongs to one identity” system embodies a monolithic identity. Experts often criticize this approach to increased security risks.
In a recent blog post, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin warned that such singular, universally linked identities risk online privacy and personal freedom. He expressed concern that even using advanced privacy tools, per person’s property poses several security risks.
“That’s the real risk. If someone takes a picture of your eyes, they can use all the information available publicly, or dark web information, to determine who you are and what you did with the chain,” El Damaty told Beincrypto.
This approach is in contrast to the spirit of Cypherpunk, which created Bitcoin, which emphasized anonymity. Critics argue that the world represents an important philosophical shift from this privacy-first tradition by permanently labeling individuals.
There are certain points of concern about Buterin and others around the world. This encryption mechanism ensures that each person signs up only once. However, the functionality also illustrates a critical vulnerability.
“As soon as your nullifier is given up… all the accounts you linked to that nullifier will also be given up… that could really be the foundation of a massive data leak,” warned El Damaty.
In response to these risks, Eldamati advocates a multidimensional identity system with multiple online identities for a variety of purposes. This protects sensitive real-world information from being closely linked to a single, globally unique ID.
“These IRIS codes should not link to voting records, the same amount of information you can use to access Social Security benefits, or other very important information that will, if you give up, undermine your status as a real-world person,” he added.
This tension forms the background to a direct global conflict with national governments.
Can WorldCoin data become a government honeypot?
The global scope of the world network directly challenges state sovereignty, particularly state rights to define citizen identity. This raises an important question: what happens if a foreign government requests access to citizen biometric data collected by this company?
The world’s parent company, the tool for humanity, could use its distributed infrastructure as a defense, claiming that data is in various countries. However, El Damati believes this defense is unstable.
“(The World) There is also the US infrastructure seen in the powers of the US government. The US can say, “Hey, if we don’t pull the plug and pass all the logs that don’t come from this central server that’s responsible for coordinating the entire network, we’ll put our executives in prison.” ”
This vulnerability transforms the world’s vast biometric database into a potential government honeypot. El Damaty pointed to precedents like the 2018 Cloud Act. This forces US law enforcement to provide data to US-based high-tech companies, even if they are stored overseas.
Many countries did not wait for such hypothetical scenarios to unfold, leading to immediate and powerful regulatory actions.
Why are countries banning World Coin?
The international community’s response to Worldcoin’s initiative has been overwhelmingly hostile.
Countries such as Spain, Portugal, Kenya and Indonesia have either imposed a ban or launched investigations into global operations, citing concerns about data handling, transparency and age verification.
El Damaty highlighted the key transparency issue. As a private company, global financial and operational details are not fully open for public scrutiny. This suggested that they would have strategic control over how they present their activities to the world.
This opacity contributes to existing global skepticism.
“I don’t think the government suddenly turned around overnight and said, “Well, I don’t think this American company (From) Silicon Valley will be run by one of the most powerful people in the world, tracking all citizens and giving them a crypto token,” El Damaty said.
Without detailed clarity, many countries remain wary of entrusting such basic identity information to private companies that are perceived to operate outside of established legal and ethical norms.
Disclaimer
Following Trust Project guidelines, this feature article presents the opinions and perspectives of industry experts or individuals. Although Beincrypto is dedicated to transparent reporting, the views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Beincrypto or its staff. Readers should independently verify the information and consult with experts before making decisions based on this content. Please note that our terms and conditions, privacy policy and disclaimer have been updated.
