Good day everybody,
Welcome to CryptoGod-1's blog on all things crypto. The co founder of Ethereum was quick to voice his concerns over the recent release of Worldcoin, along with what he considers to be design flaws.
What is Worldcoin
On the Worldcoin website, there is a letter signed off by the co-founders, Alex Blania & Sam Altman, explaining exactly what their aim and ambition with Worldcoin is.
They explain how over three years ago they founded Worldcoin with the ambition of creating a brand new identity and financial network which could be owned by everybody. They believe that Worldcoin could increase economic opportunity while scaling as a reliable solution for distinguishing humans from AI online. Privacy is only a primary concern addressed in the coin, while it also aims to enable global democratic processes, and eventually show a potential path to AI-funded UBI.
The coin works by making use of a privacy preserving digital identity (World ID) along with a digital currency which people get just for being human. This will be verified via Orbs (which scan human eyeballs), which will be distributed around the world to complete a biometric verification scan. According to the duo, any information received during the scan will remain anonymous, and will just be used to verify someone is human and give them a unique ID.
Below is the extract from the website:
Introducing Worldcoin
More than three years ago we founded Worldcoin with the ambition of creating a new identity and financial network owned by everyone; the rollout begins today. If successful, we believe Worldcoin could drastically increase economic opportunity, scale a reliable solution for distinguishing humans from AI online while preserving privacy, enable global democratic processes, and eventually show a potential path to AI-funded UBI.
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 U.S., steps will be taken so more people can benefit from both.
You can now download World App, the first protocol-compatible wallet, and reserve your share. After visiting an Orb, a biometric verification device, you will receive a World ID. This lets you prove you are a real and unique person online while remaining completely private. As the global distribution of Orbs is ramping up, you can find the closest one and book time to be verified with World App and at worldcoin.org.
Worldcoin is an attempt at global scale alignment, the journey will be challenging and the outcome is uncertain. But finding new ways to broadly share the coming technological prosperity is a critical challenge of our time. We hope you’ll join us.
Alex Blania & Sam Altman
Vitalik Butrein Thoughts
In a recent blog post, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Butrein talked about his concerns regarding the recent launch of Worldcoin. The human identity verification system is one which is considered both interest and scary by many, and Butrein noted the broader concepts and concerns of the project.
Butrein was quick to point out that the system of proof of humanity offered by Worldcoin has its values in removing the ability for spam and concentration-of-power problems, he also noted the major risks associated with the idea. Butrein noted:
"If proof of personhood is not solved, decentralized governance becomes much easier to capture by very wealthy actors, including hostile governments.”
This of course can be minimized if the system continues in its promise to decentralise, as it will avoid “dependence on centralized authorities and reveal the minimal information possible.” This will however be a big ask and require full trust in the founder to deliver on this plan. Another major stumbling block for the Ethereum co-founder is privacy. Buterin fears that scanning somebody's iris could in fact capture much more data than met the eye, including a person's sex, ethnicity, and even certain medical conditions. The questions of whether or not allowing a business to have this information comes to the fore, and whether or not they should be trusted with it.
Another concern of Buterin's was the accessibility and centralization within the Worldcoin Foundation and security. The current and latest figures from Worldcoin show that 1,500 Orbs have been made accessible in 35 cities around the world. This has seen the number of scans rise from 40,000 to 200,000 individuals in recent weeks. Latest estimates from Worldcoin state that around two million people had already signed up for a World ID.
Buterin expressed his scepticism with the task, noting:
“Even with much higher-scale distributed manufacturing, it would be hard to get to a world where there's an Orb within five kilometers of everyone.”
His belief is that gaining a proof of personhood for everybody is a difficult and dangerous task, and one he does not envy. While it will not be straightforward or swift, Butrein believes it will take several years and methods to discover the best way of undertaking this task.
"I definitely do not envy the people undertaking this task, and it will most likely require several years to discover a formula that proves effective."
As far as I am concerned, it sounds to me like a company looking to get your personal data via scanning your eyes, and in return will give you a "World ID" and some crypto tokens as a thank you. Personally, I would be hesitant and apprehensive of the system and idea behind it. Until more information is clear and available, along with the real intentions of the project, I would be keeping away from these Orbs.
Have a great day.
Peace. CryptoGod-1.
Referral Links and Follow Me:
