World Chain, a new blockchain initiative by Worldcoin, a startup founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is taking a “human-centric” approach to the Web3 space. The project aims to prioritize human users, improve efficiency, and enhance real-world utility in Web3 applications.
Worldcoin recently achieved significant milestones, surpassing 10 million World IDs created and completing 75 million transactions. This indicates the rapid growth of the project. To meet its requirements, Worldcoin has developed its own dedicated network that can scale alongside the Ethereum network as a layer 2 solution.
In an interview with Cointelegraph, Tiago Sada, the head of operations at Worldcoin, explained the project’s intention with its network and its focus on keeping humans at the center. Sada highlighted that while World Chain functions similarly to other layer 2 solutions on Ethereum, its unique feature is its priority on humans over bots. Many blockchains face congestion issues due to bot activity, as bots can outbid humans for block space.
To address this problem, World Chain gives preference to transactions completed by verified World ID holders. Additionally, verified users will receive a free gas allowance, reducing friction for new users. The goal is to achieve a balance where bots and power users cover gas fees for casual users.
World Chain aligns with Ethereum and collaborates with projects like Optimism and Base. The project plans to have a full launch in the summer, preceded by a developer preview.
This announcement follows a series of changes implemented by Worldcoin. The project has tightened its privacy checks to protect user data and restrict platform access to users over 18 years old. It has also introduced the option for users to permanently delete their iris code. Worldcoin made its orb software open-source on March 22 and introduced a new “personal custody” privacy feature.
These changes were made in response to scrutiny from governments worldwide regarding Worldcoin’s privacy practices. Some countries, including Portugal, Kenya, and Spain, have temporarily banned Worldcoin’s operations. Sada views this scrutiny as a natural process when a project scales at the pace of Worldcoin and believes it is the government’s responsibility to verify the project’s claims.
In other news, a recent study revealed that 1 in 6 new Base meme coins are scams, with 91% of them having vulnerabilities.