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)

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