Worldcoin redefines the way in which digital identity is developed by centering human iris as its main biometric. However, in doing so, the company of Sam Altman, which is now just as a world, was examined by individuals and governments.
According to Shady El Damaty, CEO of Holonyme and zero knowledge cryptography expert, the centralized infrastructure of the world’s network makes it particularly vulnerable to data leaks and exploitation. Given the global scope of the project, the consequences of such violations can be catastrophic.
A universal digital identity
With the artificial intelligence continuously scraping the boundaries between humanity and technology, the most recent project of Altman has passed the concept to the next level.
World, an initiative launched by the CEO of Openai in July 2023, has a daring objective: to scan each eye on earth and to forge a universal digital identity for humanity.
In his heart is the global ID, a digital identity preserving the confidentiality generated by a unique biometric analysis of the IRIS of a user, called “Orb”.
“WorldCoin is the very first example of a business … which has the explicit mission to document each person in the world with a cryptographically immutable link between a cryptographic haste of your eye and … your biometrics,” El Damaty told Beincrypto.
In exchange for this biometric verification, users receive WLD tokens, the native cryptocurrency of the world. These tokens serve both as an incentive and a fundamental component of participation in this global network.
The initiative is undoubtedly innovative. However, it is also extremely risky.
Why iris? Unpacking the biometric choice of the Network World Network
Unsurprisingly, the global launch was received with skepticism.
While users have generally made themselves comfortable with biometric authentication, such as fingerprints for passport scanners or the face to unlock smartphones, the prospect of having its eyeballs scan to create a digital identity has raised the feeling of living in a simulated reality.
“”[World] I am installed on … the iris, who has enough entropy so that it is really difficult to fuel. They could have gone with fingerprints, but they did not do it because they can be very easily modified; They can be burned or you can use different fingerprints. While for the eyes, they are very difficult to change, ”said El Damaty.
The reason for the world’s decision to use such a specific biometric complies with its declared objective.
While artificial intelligence continues to develop at a rapid rate, this initiative is a way to provide a layer of confidence for the post-Ai world.
This mission is often formulated as creating “proof of personality” at a time when the distinction of real humans of the robots of AI will become more and more complicated.
“In the future, it could be really difficult to know who you interact with, perhaps both in the digital world that in the physical world when robotics and automation continue to improve,” added El Damaty, noting: “With Openai, I think they quickly realized that the most precious goods in the world will not be a harsh currency or active.
Although the cause may seem quite noble, the way World Network has decided to go there. Part of it stems from a fundamental disagreement on what the digital identity should involve, leading to a philosophical fracture.
Monolithic identity systems vs pluralist
Worldcoin’s “One Iris One system belongs to the identity system” embodies a monolithic identity. Experts often criticize such an approach for increased security risks.
In a recent blog article, the co-founder of Ethereum Vitalik Buterin warned that such a singular and such a universally linked identity risks online life and individual freedom. He said he was concerned about the fact that even with advanced confidentiality tools, an identity property per person has several security risks.
“This is the real risk. If someone takes a photo of your eyes, can he use all the information accessible to the public, or perhaps even information on the dark web, to identify who you are and what you have done in search,” El Damaty told Beincrypto.
This approach also contrasts with the Cypherpunk ethics which was born in Bitcoin, which emphasizes anonymity. Critics argue that the world represents an important philosophical change in this tradition in matters of confidentiality by definitively labeling individuals.
A specific point of concern for Buterin and others is nullifier of the world. This cryptographic mechanism guarantees that each person only registers once. However, its very function also has significant vulnerability.
“As soon as your nullifier is abandoned … All the accounts you have linked to this nullifier are also abandoned … This could be the basis of a truly massive data leak,” warned El Damaty.
In response to these risks, El Damaty defends pluralist identity systems with several online identities for different purposes. This protects sensitive information from the real world against the inextricably linked link to a single unique and unique ID.
“These IRIS codes should not be linked to the same amount of information that can be used to access your voting file or your social security services or other really critical information which, if ever abandoned, would undermine your status as a person in the real world,” he added.
This tension is also the backdrop of the world’s direct conflict with national governments.
Could Worldcoin data become a jar of government honey?
The global scope of the World Network directly challenges national sovereignty, in particular the right of a state to define the identity of its citizens. This raises a critical question: what happens if foreign governments require access to biometric data from their citizens collected by this company?
Tools for humanity, the parent company, could use its distributed infrastructure as defense, saying that data reside in various countries. However, El Damaty thinks that this defense is precarious.
“”[World] also ha[s] Infrastructure in the United States which will be liable for the authority of the United States government. The United States can enter and say: “Hey, we will eliminate the socket and put your leaders in prison if you do not return all the newspapers from this central server which is responsible for coordinating the whole network.” “”
This vulnerability transforms the vast biometric database in the world into a pot of potential honey for governments. El Damaty highlighted precedents such as the 2018 Cloud law, which allows American police to force technological companies based in the United States to provide data, even if they are stored abroad.
Many nations have not waited for such hypothetical scenarios to be played, leading to immediate and energetic regulatory action.
Why the nations prohibit the world
The international community’s response to Worldcoin initiative was extremely hostile.
Countries such as Spain, Portugal, Kenya and Indonesia have either imposed prohibitions or have launched surveys into global operations, invoking concerns about data manipulation, transparency and age verification.
El Damaty highlighted a crucial transparency problem. As a private business, the world’s financial and operational details are not entirely open to a public examination. This, he suggested, allows them to strategically control how they present their activities in the world.
This option contributes to existing global skepticism.
“I don’t think [from] The Silicon Valley led by one of the most powerful people in the world to follow all our citizens and give them their cryptographic chips ” said El Damaty.
Without detailed clarity, many nations are wary of entrusting such fundamental identity information to a private entity perceived as operating outside the established legal and ethical standards.
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