Crypto
Eyeball scans for cryptocurrency: Sam Altman’s ‘Worldcoin Project’ raises privacy concerns
The ‘Worldcoin project’, led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has captured global attention as people around the world undergo eyeball scans in exchange for a digital ID and the promise of receiving free cryptocurrency.
Launched on Monday, the project initiated eyeball scans in various countries, including Britain, Japan, and India.
The goal behind ‘Worldcoin project’
Its primary goal, as per Reuters, is to establish a new “identity and financial network,” enabling users to prove their human identity online and differentiate themselves from bots.
The Worldcoin project claims to have issued IDs to over two million people in 120 countries during a trial period over the past two years. This has raised eyebrows among privacy campaigners and data regulators.
At a crypto conference in Tokyo, attendees eagerly queued to have their irises scanned by a device placed near a gleaming silver globe, with the hope of receiving 25 free Worldcoin tokens, as offered by the company to verified users.
While some participants expressed curiosity and excitement about the cutting-edge crypto project, others told Reuters they weighed privacy concerns and potential data collection risks.
One user, 33-year-old Saeki Sasaki told Reuters that “there’s a risk with having the data of your own eyes collected by a company, but I like to follow the most up-to-date crypto projects.”
“I was a bit scared, but I’ve done it now and can’t take it back,” she added.
On Monday (July 24th), in east London, Worldcoin representatives showcased the project’s app and conducted retinal scans, rewarding participants with free t-shirts and stickers labelled “verified human.”
However, not all users read Worldcoin’s privacy policy, which raises concerns about data being accessible to subcontractors and authorities.
Despite the risks and critiques from privacy advocates, the allure of free cryptocurrency tokens encouraged many to share personal data.
“It’s quite concerning but I think a lot of companies have our data at this point,” said one user.
Others claimed that considering the future challenges of distinguishing human from artificial intelligence, they found the project intriguing.
Critics, including the US privacy campaigner Electronic Privacy Information Center, have labelled Worldcoin’s data-collection practices as a “potential privacy nightmare.”
UK privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch expressed concern about potential data hacking and exploitation of biometric data.
“Digital ID systems increase state and corporate control over individuals’ lives and rarely live up to the extraordinary benefits technocrats tend to attribute to them,” said the group’s senior advocacy officer Madeleine Stone.
However, the company, on its website, asserts that the project is “completely private” and allows users to either delete their biometric data or store it in encrypted form.
(With inputs from agencies)
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
Michigan could see the creation of a “Cryptocurrency Bill of Rights” under legislation recently introduced in the state House of Representatives.
One of the bills would keep the state and local governments from banning or restricting the ownership of cryptocurrencies, or taxing them any differently from regular currencies.
State Representative Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford) said that bill and others would help Michigan attract the crypto industry to the state.
“Cryptocurrency is here to stay. I believe that 20 years from now, it’ll be the foundation of our entire financial industry. And Michigan can be a national leader in that effort,” Posthumus said.
Another part of the four-bill bipartisan package would create rules for investing state funds in cryptocurrencies.
Michigan has already invested in some crypto market-tied funds. That includes ones related to Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Posthumus said the bills would add guardrails by requiring currencies to have a market capitalization of at least $250 billion to be considered for investment. He said current law has few safeguards.
“We wanted to make sure that we passed legislation to make sure legally that the treasurer had the authority to do this. But also, that would protect taxpayers and pensioners,” Posthumus said.
Crypto markets have gained a reputation for being both potentially lucrative and volatile. That’s especially with the rise of so-called “meme coins” often based around internet jokes or trends. President Trump recently launched his own meme coin right before he was sworn back into office.
A final piece of the package would give Bitcoin miners the chance to use abandoned state-owned oil and natural gas wells. The process called “mining” for Bitcoin — solving what’s essentially a math problem that underlies the creation of a new coin — is extremely time consuming and energy intensive.
The bill would create a new program to let selected miners access those abandoned wells, as long as they cap and clean up the site when they’re done. Participants in the program could also get a tax break.
Posthumus said it would provide a new use for those abandoned mines that could otherwise leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the environment.
“Our thought process was well why don’t we give the opportunity to bitcoin miners to bid on these abandoned oil wells with the expectation that, assuming they win the bid, they can … also be required to fund the remediation,” Posthumus said.
2025 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for crypto, and analysts have made some pretty bold predictions for Bitcoin and top altcoins.
There is a growing consensus among analysts and investors that 2025 will be mostly bullish. With this in mind, these industry players have made bold predictions of where they believe Bitcoin and altcoins will be worth before year-end.
Below, we break down six must-read crypto forecasts from analysts from top crypto analysis platforms like VanEck, Ark Invest, Forbes, and Investing.com.
What to Expect From Bitcoin and Crypto Markets in 2025 – Investopedia
In this post, experts from Investopedia provide insights on what they believe Bitcoin will be worth before the end of the upcoming bull cycle.
It then explores the impact that a Trump presidency will have on the price of the legacy crypto. These analysts also explore the factors that will have the biggest impact on Bitcoin prices.
They conclude by discussing the possibility of a Bitcoin rally spilling over to altcoins.
VanEck’s 10 Crypto Predictions for 2025 – VanEck
In this long post, VanEck’s Head of Digital Asset Research, Mathew Sigel, and Senior Investment Analyst for Digital Assets, Patrick Bush, take a dig at the expected performance of the larger crypto market.
They talk about the crypto market bull run peaking in Q4 2025. They also discuss the expected performance of stablecoins, tokenized securities, Bitcoin Layer-2s, Ethereum, dApp tokens, DeFi coins, and the NFT market.
10 Best Cryptocurrencies To Invest In May 2025 – Forbes
This post discusses what Forbes’ editors Nikita Tambe and Aashika Jain believe to be the best digital currencies to buy in May 2025. Some of the coins discussed here include Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and Binance Coin.
15 Cryptocurrency Forecasts For 2025 – InvestingHaven
You should also take a peek at our predictions of what we believe to be the 15 best cryptos worth buying in 2025.
This in-depth forecast uses the help of crypto charts to indicate the most likely price direction of Bitcoin and top altcoins. Our predictions are guided by a closer look at both technical indicators and each coin’s fundamentals.
ARK’s Price Target For Bitcoin In 2030 – Ark Invest
Ark Invest has made one of the boldest predictions for Bitcoin. They expect to peak between $300,000 and $710,000 by year-end before rallying to $1.5 Million by 2030.
In this post, Ark Invest’s David Puel unpacks the “modeling methodology and assumptions supporting those price targets.”
Bernstein makes 10 predictions for 2025 as crypto enters its ‘Infinity Age’ – The Block
Earlier in the year, analysts at Bernstein Research brokerage firm made 10 crypto predictions for 2025.
In here, they reiterate the conviction that Bitcoin will break above $200,000. In the note to clients, they argue that 2025 will kick off what they describe as the infinity age for the crypto industry.
They also explain some of the factors that they believe will fuel the market’s uptrend.
Conclusion
The key takeaway from these crypto forecasts is that 2025 will be a pivotal year for the crypto industry. It, however, is important to note that no one can predict the future with absolute certainty.
That said, staying informed about expert forecasts can keep you informed and give you a strategic edge over other investors. But as always, do your own research before investing in any digital currency.
Invest in cryptocurrencies and 3,000+ other assets including stocks and precious metals.
0% commission on stocks – buy in bulk or just a fraction from as little as $10. Other fees apply. For more information, visit etoro.com/trading/fees.
Copy top-performing traders in real time, automatically.
eToro USA is registered with FINRA for securities trading.
be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.
Gain Instant Access to the World’s First Blockchain Investing Research Service — Actionable Crypto Alerts, Built on 15+ Years of Market Experience
Discover market-moving insights and exclusive crypto forecasts powered by InvestingHaven’s proprietary 15-indicator methodology. Join smart investors using our premium alerts to stay ahead of the curve—before the big moves happen.
This is how we are guiding our premium members (log in required):
Post Malone and Jelly Roll’s Pittsburgh show brings large crowd to PNC Park
Downtown Augusta business owners share safety concerns with sheriff
‘We’re not going to go anywhere’: DC mayor raises new flag to celebrate Pride – WTOP News
Cleveland Job Corps will begin a ‘phased pause in operations’
'It felt like a tornado,' Austin rocked by rare microburst, experts explain more
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Columbia University President Is Booed at Commencement Ceremony
-
Culture1 week agoDo You Know the English Novels That Inspired These Movies and TV Shows?
-
Education1 week agoHow Usher Writes a Commencement Speech
-
Politics1 week agoExpert reveals how companies are rebranding 'toxic' DEI policies to skirt Trump-era bans: 'New wrapper'
-
World1 week agoEU reaches initial deal to lift economic sanctions on Syria: Reports
-
Technology1 week agoAMD’s new RX 9060 XT looks set to challenge Nvidia’s RTX 5060
-
News1 week agoRead the Full ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Report
-
News1 week ago'Golden Dome' Missile Shield To Be 1st US Weapon In Space. All About It