Worldcoin, the crypto project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is pushing forward with its global expansion despite mounting privacy concerns and regulatory scrutiny. The project, which offers users free cryptocurrency in exchange for scanning their irises through a device known as the “Orb,” has recently launched operations in several new countries across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
The company says it now has over 3 million verified users worldwide and plans to accelerate sign-ups with new partnerships and Orb deployment centers. Worldcoin claims its mission is to build a universal digital identity protocol—called World ID—that could serve as a foundational layer for Web3 authentication and financial inclusion.
However, the project has not been without controversy. Regulators in countries like Kenya and Germany have raised concerns over the security and ethical implications of collecting sensitive biometric data. Privacy advocates warn that even with encryption and decentralized storage, biometric data can never be truly anonymous or risk-free.
Still, Worldcoin’s team insists it’s taking all necessary precautions. “We do not store iris images,” said Tiago Sada, Head of Product at Tools for Humanity, the company behind the project. “Our system generates a unique hash of the iris, which is not linked to any personal data and cannot be reversed.”
Interest in Worldcoin is also growing among developers in Los Angeles and other tech-forward cities, especially those exploring decentralized identity solutions. Yet skepticism remains high in privacy-conscious circles, with some experts calling for stricter oversight as adoption scales.
With global crypto adoption rising, Worldcoin stands at the intersection of innovation and controversy—raising critical questions about how far people are willing to go for a free piece of the digital economy.