👁 Why Does Sam Altman Need His Cryptocurrency, and What Does It Have to Do with Retinas?

Sam Altman's cryptocurrency project, World, has introduced a futuristic device called the Orb that verifies a person's identity through their retina. The developers believe that such a real-world CAPTCHA could become highly relevant in the near future.

👀 How Does the Project Work?

Registered users receive a World ID, which they can use for "secure and anonymous" online verification of their humanity, as well as a share of the project's cryptocurrency token, WLD. Aiming to reach as many people worldwide as possible, the developers have released an updated version of the Orb retina scanner. This new version is more affordable and can be ordered quickly and conveniently — much like pizza delivery.

📸 What's Inside the Orb?

The company claims that the Orb is a secure and anonymous device that allows World ID holders to verify their humanity and uniqueness. Using a camera, the Orb scans a person's eyes, determines their verification status, and sends all information to the user's phone. Notably, no data is stored on the device itself.

📈 How Many Users Are There?

World reports that it has verified nearly 7 million "unique individuals" so far, despite privacy concerns over creating a private global database based on biometric data. In several countries, such as Kenya, Spain, and Portugal, World has ceased operations due to issues surrounding the opacity of biometric data collection and storage.

💸 What Does Cryptocurrency Have to Do with It?

The creators of World believe that with verified individuals, the cryptocurrency market — currently dominated by bots managing trades — will become fairer. The human factor introduced by World users could make cryptocurrency trading more balanced, and the accessibility of the Orb is expected to expand the number of trading participants. The ultimate goal is for people worldwide to own crypto assets.

#news @hiaimediaen