People are lining up to peer into a reflective orb to scan their eyes scanned in exchange for crypto – welcome to 2023. Sam Altman, Alex Blania and Max Novendstern founded Worldcoin “with the ambition of creating a new identity and financial network owned by everyone,” as per their introduction email. “Worldcoin consists of a privacy-preserving digital identity (World ID) and, where laws allow, a digital currency (WLD) received simply for being human. We hope that, where the rules are less clear, such as in the US, steps will be taken so more people can benefit from both.” Over 2.25 million people have provided their biometric data to gain access to the blockchain and the company is now worth around $3 billion.
The founders first targeted poor areas of Africa where they offered desperate people $60 worth of crypto for their biometric data. CNBC reported that they hired hundreds of “Runners” who acted as sales people to recruit new clients to harvest their data. The people worked on commission only and targeted people on the streets, schools, shopping centers, and anywhere they could find vulnerable people willing to give away their personal information. In Kenya, for example, there were reports of thousands of people lining up to join the platform.
The aim is to harvest the data of every individual globally and then connect that data to a decentralized ID linked to the blockchain. They call the need for biometric data proof-of-personhood “lets you prove you are a unique and real person while remaining anonymous.” I for one do not need a computer to prove to me that I am a real human being. Absolute nonsense.
Sam Altman is an intelligent man. He helped develop ChatGPT and OpenAI. Now he claims this concoction can prove that living people are not AI robots. World ID is now active in 34 countries with over 1,500 orbs available. They claim the data is encrypted but almost anything can be hacked or seized by government. In fact, Worldcoin has already been hacked by people who sold the data on the dark web.
Governments are becoming suspicious or perhaps jealous of that valuable data. The UK, France, Argentina, and Germany are investigating the company and Kenyan authorities raided their offices in Nairobi. The powers that be will create a digital passport linking every human to a centralized database. They likely will not allow a private firm to maintain such a database, for our safety of course.
