Worldcoin discontinues its iris scanning feature in India, Brazil, and France, facing controversy and regulatory scrutiny. Critics question the ethics of the onboarding process, while security concerns persist. Get insights into the latest developments.
Worldcoin has reportedly halted its offline iris scanning function, known as the Orb, in India, Brazil, and France. Initially designed to provide identity verification in regions lacking traditional ID access, the company initiated the offline onboarding by incentivizing local Orb operators with rewards in USDC, later switching to its native token, WLD. The discontinuation in India occurred silently around 3-4 months ago, with Tools for Humanity, the overseeing foundation, clarifying that the Orb was a limited-time access initiative.
The onboarding process, involving sensitive data collection like iris scans, has stirred public controversies, with critics deeming the project, led by OpenAI founder Sam Altman, ethically questionable. Regulatory bodies in Germany and the UK have expressed skepticism, launching probes and investigations. Kenya has outright banned Worldcoin’s activities. Security concerns escalated in August when CertiK reported a vulnerability in Orb operator vetting, raising fears of potential misuse.
Cointelegraph reached out to Worldcoin for further details but received no response at the time of reporting.