Worldcoin, the innovative digital identity and cryptocurrency project founded by Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, is implementing new features to enhance the protection of personal data and improve age verification. On April 9, Worldcoin unveiled two updates: the option to unverify World IDs through permanent iris code deletion and in-person age verification checks.
World ID holders can now unverify their World ID, which acts as a digital passport verifying an individual’s humanness through the use of “orbs,” devices that scan users’ eyeballs to confirm their authenticity as real humans.
Unverifying the World ID involves permanently deleting the user’s iris code, a numerical representation of their unique iris texture. This iris code ensures that individuals can only verify one World ID. Once the deletion is requested, the individual’s World ID becomes invalid. To prevent fraud, the process requires a six-month “cool-off” period to ensure that individuals cannot immediately re-verify their humanness. At the end of this period, users will have their iris code permanently deleted and made irretrievable.
The development of Worldcoin’s new unverify option involved consultation with third-party privacy and security experts, including the Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision (BayLDA). According to the startup, BayLDA serves as Worldcoin’s lead supervisory authority in the European Union.
The second update introduces in-person age verification checks for Worldcoin, ensuring that the platform is only accessible to individuals above the age of 18. This update includes an on-site age verification check at all orb locations prior to World ID verification. Third-party personnel will conduct the check before granting access to the venue.
“Worldcoin has always required individuals to be a minimum of 18 years old to obtain a World ID,” stated a spokesperson for Worldcoin.
Sam Altman, the creator of OpenAI and the driving force behind the natural language processing chatbot ChatGPT, launched Worldcoin in July 2023 with the aim of establishing a “global financial and identity network based on proof of personhood.” However, the project received a mixed response from the community, with concerns raised about its centralization, privacy, and security.
Worldcoin also faced skepticism from various governments regarding its security and privacy. BayLDA, Worldcoin’s supervisory authority in the European Union, initiated an investigation into the project due to privacy concerns months before its official launch. In late 2023, Worldcoin temporarily halted its offline orb verification feature for users in India and plans to reinstate the service later in 2024. Additionally, the Kenyan government banned Worldcoin in August 2023, suspending all local activity associated with the platform, including biometric identification. Worldcoin has been collaborating with the Kenyan government to resume operations.
As of March 2024, Worldcoin declared that it operates legally in all available locations and fully complies with relevant laws.