Worldcoin aims to set up global ID network akin to India's Aadhaar

Aadhaar Ventures India

02/11/2023 11:27

By Elizabeth Howcroft and Martin Coulter
       LONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Worldcoin, the cryptocurrency
project set up by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, aims to establish a
global ID network akin to India's Aadhaar biometric ID system, a
senior employee told Reuters. 
    More than 2.4 million people have signed up to have their
irises scanned by Worldcoin's "orb" devices in exchange for a
digital ID and free cryptocurrency, shrugging off privacy
campaigners’ concerns that the database could be misused.
    Worldcoin, co-founded by Altman, says its aim is to create a
global identity and financial network, suggesting on its website
a variety of ambitious use cases, including distinguishing
people from artificial intelligence bots and providing a means
for distributing universal basic income (UBI). 
    The company's head of product, Tiago Sada, told Reuters the
company sought to emulate India's Aadhaar system, which ascribes
unique ID numbers, and records individuals' fingerprints, face
and iris scan.
    "A really good analogy for the type of impact something like
Worldcoin can have is the Aadhaar project in India," Sada, the
company's head of product, engineering and design, said.
    Various regulators, including in the United Kingdom and
Germany, have said they were looking into Worldcoin following
its launch in July.

 (Reporting by Martin Coulter and Elizabeth Howcroft; Editing by
Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
 ((martin.coulter@thomsonreuters.com; Follow me on Twitter
@martinjbcoulter; +447436546182;))