At the end of 2023, an image assaulted Argentine screens. Dozens of people lined up at train stations and other public spaces to have their irises scanned in exchange for money. The novelty quickly spread like a trail and, in the midst of a pressing economic context, It surpassed the capacity of its promoters, becoming a striking phenomenon.
The initiative was carried out by worldcoina biometric cryptocurrency project developed by Tools for Humanity, based in San Francisco and Berlin. In fact, in recent weeks it was renamed World Network or World. After the initial frenzy, the firm managed to gain its footing and began to expand at a steady pace. At the moment, It registers more than 2.2 million users in Argentina, almost a third of its ecosystem worldwide.
Created by Sam Altman, Alex Blania and Max Novendsternwas launched in July 2023 with the goal of becoming the largest digital financial and identity network in the world. In particular, its flagship – which is performed by scanning the iris – is the WorldID. It is a “digital passport” that allows users to prove that they are unique humans, without revealing details of their physical or digital identity.
This procedure is carried out through the “Orb”a device responsible for verifying the uniqueness of individuals through a biometric process that, according to its creators, strictly respects the privacy of personal data.
The company highlighted that Argentina has the largest number of users at a nominal level in the world. Currently, they have 200 Orb throughout the country, of which 50 are in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area. Its promoters are now seeking to scale the territory, with an ambitious goal: to have a device every five blocks. In fact, in the heat of the national furor, World will open its own store in the Abasto shopping center.
Specifically, the procedure consists of downloading the World app and looking for an Orb to perform the verification. Subsequently, the user can start claiming their Worldcoin cryptocurrencies monthly and send their WLD Tokens to the Ripio app using the Optimism blockchain. Lastly, you can sell them for your currency or for crypto dollars (UXD).
This week, he also announced his landing in Brazil. Its operations will begin in San Pablo, where different humanity verification points will be installed, with the aim of continuing its expansion throughout Latin America. The new generation of Orbs is equipped with the Nvidia Jetson chip, enabling faster AI processing for more efficient verification.
Improvements include infrared and visible light cameras optimized to operate in low light conditions, and support for 5G connections for greater range and speed. The new version, World ID 3.0, also supports NFC-enabled physical passports through the World App.
At the same time, World is working on the implementation of the “Deep Face” function, a tool that will compare real-time and stored images to verify a user’s identity. This will ensure that the person interacting with the Orb is the same person who initially registered. It will be compatible with popular video calling apps, including FaceTime, WhatsApp and Zoom.
According to its own data, 328,414,835 tokens were currently distributed and 486,238 accounts were created in the last seven days.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
