What is Worldcoin (WLD)?
- Author
- CRYPTO PORT Editorial
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 6 min
In short
Worldcoin is a project trying to prove that someone is a unique human being, using biometrics. Launched in July 2023, it issues an identifier by scanning a person's irises with a purpose-built device called the Orb. Because it handles biometric data, it has faced regulatory investigations and suspension orders in several countries.
Key points
- Aims at proof of personhood — preventing the same individual from registering twice
- Scans the irises with dedicated hardware and derives an identifier from them
- Uses zero-knowledge proofs so that verifications are not linked to the identifier
- Several countries have taken regulatory action over its handling of biometric data
Definition
A project, and its token, that issues a unique identifier from iris biometrics so a person can prove online that they are a single, non-duplicated human.
Worldcoin's stated problem is that generative AI makes it hard to tell whether someone online is human. Anything that assumes one person cannot hold many accounts — one-person-one-vote, aid distribution, abuse prevention — falls apart without verification. Existing solutions depend on government-issued ID, which large numbers of people worldwide do not have.
Its proposal is to compute a unique value from iris patterns, confirm it has not been registered before, and issue an identifier called World ID. The scan uses a dedicated spherical device, the Orb. Afterwards, proving personhood to a participating service uses zero-knowledge proofs, so verification need not reveal which identifier is involved. Development is led by Tools for Humanity, co-founded by Sam Altman.
In 2024 World Chain, an Ethereum layer 2, went live, with features such as fee allowances for verified users. WLD tokens are distributed to people who register in eligible regions.
The central issue is biometric data. Data protection authorities in Spain, Portugal, Hong Kong, Kenya, Indonesia and Brazil, among others, have investigated the project and in some cases ordered collection to stop or banned it outright. Consent procedures, registration of minors and whether data can truly be deleted are the recurring points of dispute. Whether it is usable at all depends on where you live.
Watch out for
- · You are handing over an irreplaceable biometric; a single registration can have long-lasting consequences
- · Data protection authorities in several countries have investigated or suspended it, so legality and availability vary by region
- · Distributing tokens as an incentive to register has been criticised as paying people for biometric data
Frequently asked questions
Is the iris image stored?
The project says images are processed on the device and discarded, with only the derived value retained. Regulators in various countries are assessing that implementation and its consent process independently, and conclusions differ by jurisdiction.