The Worldcoin project, led by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, has announced that it will soon introduce more verification balls. The announcement comes days after the project was banned from operating in Hong Kong. Despite the threat of bans in several parts of the world, Worldcoin has shown no signs of stopping. Developed by the initiative, Orbs are devices that scan people’s irises to identify them and issue proof of identity. This data collection has drawn the ire of critics around the world, with Hong Kong the latest region to ban the project.
Worldcoin will introduce more orbs
On Monday, Worldcoin’s official X (formerly Twitter) handler tweeted ‘More Orbs Coming’, while an unverified Worldcoin account informed users of the next drop in WLD tokens. According to CoinMarketCap, the price of the WLD token is currently $4.60 (roughly Rs. 380).
According to information available on the project’s website, over 165,000 new accounts have been created with Worldcoin in the past seven days, bringing the total number of unique people to 5.4 million. As of Tuesday, the project claims to have been around for 309 days and has managed to connect with people from more than 160 countries.
The website also says that so far Worldcoin has produced 2,000 orbs. The project also plans to expand its community in the near future through token releases and contests that people can participate in to win prizes.
Worldcoin is blocked from working in another region
Last week, Hong Kong’s Personal Data Privacy Commissioner’s Office (PCPD) raised concerns about the privacy of Worldcoin’s collection of biometric data. In a statement released by the PCPD, it said that Worldcoin did indeed scan the eyes and faces of 8,302 people during its operations in Hong Kong.
The PCPD said biometric scanning of Worldcoin was ‘unnecessary and excessive’. Furthermore, the PCPD also claimed that the project did not provide a privacy notice and consent form for the biometric data in Chinese, nor did it inform people of the risks associated with using these biometric data to train AI protocols and store the data for a decade.
“The Privacy Commissioner has served an enforcement notice on the Worldcoin Foundation, ordering it to cease all Worldcoin Project operations in Hong Kong in scanning and collecting iris and facial images of citizens using iris scanning devices. If members of the public notice that Worldcoin is still operating in any facility with iris scanning devices in Hong Kong, please report it to the PCPD immediately,” the statement said.
In March, Spain banned Worldcoin from collecting personal data and biometrics of Spanish citizens.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Worldcoin officially launched in July 2023. It aims to award ‘World ID’s to global citizens as ‘international proof of identity’. With these IDs, people will not have to share their personal information to interact with websites.
Despite several concerns raised by privacy advocates, Worldcoin recently asserted that it has never sold any user data and has no plans to do so. The project has been perceived as intrusive and currently faces legal obstacles in countries such as Nairobi and Italy.
