The recently launched Worldcoin human identity verification system elicited mixed reactions among people. While the project deems itself as a privacy-preserving digital identity, many prominent players in the community view the iris scanning process specialized Orb hardware device to be Orwellian.
The crypto-focused project, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has witnessed significant security concerns being raised due to the potential for hackers to exploit it.
Slow Mist Founder’s Views on Worldcoin
Worldcoin is drawing a fresh wave of criticism from the founder of Slow Mist, who does not believe the project has much hope. The executive of the blockchain security expert said that if Worldcoin succeeds, it will be an “evil” creation but added that it has a “high probability of failure.”
“What is an iris? It is the most stable and durable unique mark of your person (unless you are blind), which is much more reliable than face and fingerprint verification. I have read the Worldcoin white paper, and the promises in it are really good, but we still need to be vigilant about a new category of things.”
The founder also asked users to exercise a lot of vigilance while interacting with the project.
Backlash So Far
Former American intelligence contractor Edward Snowden drew a striking analogy, comparing the protocol’s approach to treating the human body as a mere ticket punch. The privacy advocate urged his followers not to “catalog their balls.”
Don’t use biometrics for anti-fraud.
In fact, don’t use biometrics for anything.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) October 23, 2021
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin also published a detailed blog post on Monday weighing on “decentralized proof-of-personhood,” the concept at the center of Worldcoin. He said the privacy issues in the project are relatively mild but pointed out some glaring centralization issues. The exec also indicated risks such as malicious entities linking one person’s iris with another’s app and AI-generated 3D irises.
Dogecoin co-creator Billy Markus, who is more famously known as ‘Shibetoshi Nakamoto,’ referred to the newly launched cryptocurrency WLD as “creepy and weird.” Stephan Livera, a popular Bitcoin podcaster from Australia, said the project is a “complete dumpster fire.”
Despite the uproar, Worldcoin investors reportedly boast high-profile names, including a16z, Coinbase Ventures, Digital Currency Group (DCG), as well as some shady ones such as former FTX boss Sam Bankman-Fried and bankrupt hedge fund, Three Arrows Capital (3AC).
Worldcoin, for its part, has been careful not to launch its WLD token in the United States to ensure it won’t end up running head-first into legal issues, especially at a time when the country watchdogs have amplified their scrutiny.
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