Worldcoin’s German rollout brings World ID proof-of-personhood sign-ups to a country known for its hard-line approach to data collection.
According to the company, its Orb iris-scanning hardware minimizes the data storage of privacy-centric German citizens.
Worldcoin German Rollout Signals Intention to Allay Privacy Concerns
Worldcoin will start operations in Berlin and roll out the technology to new locations that will each have their own Orb. The company committed to ending its beta testing phase roughly six weeks from May 14.
Considering the privacy implications of a German rollout, Worldcoin claims the Orb uses privacy-preserving zero-knowledge proofs to preserve user data. Instead of storing a photograph of a human iris, the device relies on ZK technology to determine whether the image belongs to a person whose identity already exists on the Worldcoin network.
Tools for Humanity (TFH), the organization behind Worldcoin, claims the technology proves personhood because it can recognize a real eyeball from, for example, a photograph. Therefore, it answers the unique question: does this real person own a digital identity on the Worldcoin blockchain?
Learn here about the basics of blockchain technology.
The person’s identity is also linked to a wallet address TFH intends using to restore access to universal basic income considering AI’s potential to take over jobs. Notably, it has not released information on Worldcoin’s tokenomics.
In addition to the German rollout, the company launched a “Sign-in With World lD” feature on Okta Auth0 marketplace. Users enrolled onto the WorldID system can scan a QR code that will enter their “proof-of-personhood” information onto a site. The company claims the sign-up offers users more privacy than Google and Facebook logins.
Worldcoin Exploited Vulnerable, Claims Report
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology report criticized Worldcoin for exploiting developing countries during early Orb experiments. Its contractors allegedly offered participants free money in exchange for their iris scans. Earlier detractors decried the mass collection of sensitive data in an era of surveillance-state concerns.
Still, the company managed to attract $115 million in its Series C funding round last month. Notable investors included Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm a16z and Bain Capital. CEO Alex Blania said at the time the funds would be used to hire 150 new employees.
Previous investors include Khosla Ventures and former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.
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