Sam Altman's Retina-Scanning Orb Enhances Functionality with World ID 2.0

• Worldcoin Announces Platform Expansion
• Insights from Tools for Humanity
• World ID 2.0 Upgrade
• Worldcoin's Privacy Measures
• World ID 2.0: New Verification Levels
• Worldcoin's Growth and Vision

Worldcoin Announces Platform Expansion

Crypto startup Worldcoin, co-created by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has declared a significant evolution of its eye-scanning identity platform. This update includes a multi-level verification system for the World ID digital passport and partnerships with major tech companies.

Insights from Tools for Humanity

Tiago Sada, Head of Product at Tools for Humanity - the company behind Worldcoin, asserted that World ID 2.0 represents a monumental upgrade for the protocol. The improvements combine original white paper ideas with developers' feedback.

Sada disclosed upcoming services including on-site onboarding into its proof-of-personhood service in Singapore and Mexico. He also named several companies, such as Shopify, Mercado Libre, Minecraft, Reddit, and Telegram, that will soon facilitate user sign-ins via a World ID.

World ID 2.0 Upgrade

The updated platform is expected to assist new partners by simplifying the process of differentiating between bots and verified humans online, according to a statement from Tools for Humanity.

Worldcoin's Privacy Measures

Worldcoin's unique authentication method, involving a retina-scanning sphere, has drawn attention to user privacy concerns. However, Tools for Humanity has assured that Worldcoin does not retain its eye scans and only utilizes them for first-time user authentication. They argue that the World ID service offers a more privacy-conscious alternative to traditional authentication systems.

On Reddit, for instance, subreddit moderators can use World ID to assign specific roles or permissions to those verified as humans. On Shopify, merchants can ensure that discount codes are used only once by a customer using World ID.

World ID 2.0: New Verification Levels

The 2.0 upgrade introduces new verification levels to accommodate users who choose to provide different amounts of verification data. Besides the standard orb-based World ID, a new base-level World ID bypasses retina scans, allowing users to authenticate themselves on their devices. This lower verification level can expand IDs to people without access to an orb authentication site and can be used for apps with less stringent proof-of-personhood requirements.

On the other end of the verification spectrum, a stricter tier named Orb Plus has been introduced. Applications can use this option to re-verify orb-authenticated users on-device each time they sign in with a World ID.

Worldcoin's Growth and Vision

According to Tools for Humanity, almost five million people have exchanged eye scans for World IDs since the orb's launch in 2021. Sada shared that the numbers include over 1% of the populations of Chile and Argentina and over 2% of Portugal's population. The main product of Worldcoin is a crypto wallet app accessible to all, with special access granted to verified ID-holders.

Worldcoin was founded to adapt to a changing world, and the aim is to create tools beneficial to this new era, concluded Sada.

Edited by Jonathan Stoker