Worldcoin To Scan Irises Of World Population (Worthy News-Focus)

By Stefan J. Bos

WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – The leader of a U.S.-based artificial intelligence laboratory says he raised $115 million to tempt billions of people to have their irises scanned for a “World ID” in exchange for cryptocurrency.

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman’s Worldcoin aims to distribute a cryptocurrency token to all eight billion people on earth “just for being a unique individual.”

Alex Blania, CEO of Worldcoin, said the company wants the world population to scan their irises for a worldwide authentication system.

He warned that a global form of a digital Identity Document (ID), also known as World ID, is coming “whether you like it or not.”

Seemingly inspired by science-fiction movies, Worldcoin uses its ‘Orb’ device to scan people’s eyeballs to verify that they are humans, after which they are given crypto currency for free.

“The Orb uses iris biometrics to establish an individual’s unique personhood, then creates a digital World ID. That can be used pseudonymously in a variety of everyday applications without revealing the user’s identity,” Worldcoin said in a statement.

CRYPTO TOKEN

The crypto token given to people after they scanned their eyeballs will not be available to people in the United States and some other countries, according to Worldcoin’s website.

Worldcoin appeared confident about its cryptocurrency as the digital asset space looks to regain popularity after a bruising 2022 that saw several crypto ventures collapse.

Blania stressed that eventually, anyone who wants to use the internet will need to be authenticated by Worldcoin or “something like it.”

Yet it has raised concerns about perceived privacy risks, with former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden saying, “Don’t catalog eyeballs.”

He and other critics suggest that as Worldcoin’s artificial intelligence pervades society, humans need a countervailing force to keep control of their destinies.

Altman and OpenAI, the startup behind the artificial intelligence system ChatGPT, have testified before a U.S. Senate panel where they called for regulation of the technology.

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