{"id":89327,"date":"2023-08-01T08:58:58","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T08:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com"},"modified":"2023-08-11T09:10:02","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T09:10:02","slug":"is-sam-altmans-worldcoin-a-dystopian-attempt-to-steal-identities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/is-sam-altmans-worldcoin-a-dystopian-attempt-to-steal-identities","title":{"rendered":"Is Sam Altman’s Worldcoin a Dystopian Attempt to Steal Identities?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Media attention peaked on 24 July, when OpenAI<\/a>\u2019s CEO Sam Altman’s Worldcoin<\/a> made its public debut, sparking curiosity, ambition, and a hefty dose of scepticism. The futuristic project, which revolves around iris-scanning orbs and creating a digital world with IDs created by those scans, swiftly stirred up a global conversation miles away from its launch spots in Britain, Japan, and India.<\/p>\n

In this article, we look at how Worldcoin works, what it’s trying to achieve, and the implications of giving up personal data for money. With growing worries about privacy<\/a> and identity in our increasingly digital world, we also examine whether there are easier ways to prove who we are without giving away so much information.<\/p>\n

What Is Worldcoin All About?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Worldcoin is a digital identification<\/a> platform conceived with an ambitious objective: to establish a system where everyone on Earth can prove their humanity online. The project, led by Tools for Humanity<\/a>, is co-founded by Altman.<\/p>\n

The technology used by Worldcoin derives from cryptographic<\/a> and blockchain<\/a> tools that have become mainstays in the cryptocurrency arena. An integral part of the system is its cryptocurrency, WLD, and its associated payment platform.<\/p>\n

How Does It Work?<\/h3>\n

Worldcoin relies on three interconnected components.<\/p>\n

The centrepiece is the World ID, which offers a unique solution to verify the “humanness” of its users. It uses an iris-scanning device<\/a> called the Orb. The device scans the user’s iris, generating a unique IrisCode \u2013 much like a fingerprint \u2013 that serves as a one-time identification mark to prevent duplication of World IDs.<\/p>\n

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Stare into the Eye of Sauron<\/p>\n

"Tools for Humanity" pic.twitter.com\/UTzfvquT6y<\/a><\/p>\n

— Steven Lubka \u2600\ufe0f (@DzambhalaHODL) July 27, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n