Worldcoin Draws Attention Due to Privacy Concerns
2023-08-15
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1Weeks after its international launch, Worldcoin is drawing the attention of officials around the world.
2Kenya's government has gone so far as to shut down the service.
3The international ID company, backed by big investors in Silicon Valley's technology industry, now has to defend itself in investigations.
4The central question is whether the biometric data that the company is collecting is secure or not.
5Worldcoin is the creation of Sam Altman.
6He is best known as the head of OpenAI, the maker of the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT.
7The goal of Worldcoin and the company backing it, Tools for Humanity, is to give people a form of identification that could never be stolen or copied.
8Worldcoin creates a "World ID", an identification tool, by scanning someone's eyes through "orbs."
9These are special devices that capture images of the irises, the colored parts of the eyes.
10One possible use for such an ID tool would be online services.
11Such services require that people remember passwords and usernames for websites they have signed up for.
12The security of those sites can have problems, however.
13There have been several security issues where usernames and passwords have been stolen.
14Instead of using old technology like passwords, people could just sign up using their World ID.
15Worldcoin is an identification project.
16But it is also using cryptocurrency to get people to sign up.
17The Worldcoin token is trading for roughly $1.90.
18However, its value is largely based on expectations rather than its usability as a form of money.
19Worldcoin launched officially in July.
20As part of the event, early users were given an amount of cryptocurrency worth between $50 and $60.
21Most of the countries where Worldcoin launched do not widely use or accept crypto.
22Further, $50 is a lot of money in developing countries where people are being asked to sign up, including Kenya, where the average monthly wage is around $170.
23Thousands of Kenyans lined up in Nairobi in early August at a center where Worldcoin took images of their irises in exchange for 25 coins worth about $50.
24The lines included mothers with children on their backs.
25Some of those in line told local media that they had traveled from a distance after friends said "free money" was being handed out.
26They admitted not knowing why they needed to scan their irises and where that information would go.
27Others who waited for hours included college-educated Kenyans. Many are unemployed and angry over the rising cost of living.
28The Kenyan government has since suspended new sign-ups for Worldcoin as it investigates whether people's information is being properly protected.
29Worldcoin's orbs collect data by taking images of a person's iris.
30While Worldcoin argues that the data is used to create a special, secure form of identification, privacy experts have concerns that the company may use the information in other ways, like personalized marketing.
31That has led some countries to investigate Worldcoin's operations, including France, Germany and now Kenya.
32Privacy experts are worried that Worldcoin could, in time, be a victim to criminals, similar to data thefts at other large companies.
33Privacy experts have said biometric data is already being sold in places like China and that could spread to other places.
34Last week, Worldcoin discussed the privacy concerns on its website.
35The company wrote everything is available as a choice and no personal data "is disclosed by default, enabling each holder to decide which (if any) personal data to share with third parties when using World ID."
36I'm John Russell.
1Weeks after its international launch, Worldcoin is drawing the attention of officials around the world. Kenya's government has gone so far as to shut down the service. 2The international ID company, backed by big investors in Silicon Valley's technology industry, now has to defend itself in investigations. The central question is whether the biometric data that the company is collecting is secure or not. 3What is Worldcoin? 4Worldcoin is the creation of Sam Altman. He is best known as the head of OpenAI, the maker of the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT. 5The goal of Worldcoin and the company backing it, Tools for Humanity, is to give people a form of identification that could never be stolen or copied. Worldcoin creates a "World ID", an identification tool, by scanning someone's eyes through "orbs." These are special devices that capture images of the irises, the colored parts of the eyes. 6One possible use for such an ID tool would be online services. Such services require that people remember passwords and usernames for websites they have signed up for. 7The security of those sites can have problems, however. There have been several security issues where usernames and passwords have been stolen. Instead of using old technology like passwords, people could just sign up using their World ID. 8What is its connection to crypto? 9Worldcoin is an identification project. But it is also using cryptocurrency to get people to sign up. The Worldcoin token is trading for roughly $1.90. However, its value is largely based on expectations rather than its usability as a form of money. 10Worldcoin launched officially in July. As part of the event, early users were given an amount of cryptocurrency worth between $50 and $60. Most of the countries where Worldcoin launched do not widely use or accept crypto. 11Further, $50 is a lot of money in developing countries where people are being asked to sign up, including Kenya, where the average monthly wage is around $170. 12Why is Worldcoin getting attention? 13Thousands of Kenyans lined up in Nairobi in early August at a center where Worldcoin took images of their irises in exchange for 25 coins worth about $50. 14The lines included mothers with children on their backs. Some of those in line told local media that they had traveled from a distance after friends said "free money" was being handed out. They admitted not knowing why they needed to scan their irises and where that information would go. 15Others who waited for hours included college-educated Kenyans. Many are unemployed and angry over the rising cost of living. 16The Kenyan government has since suspended new sign-ups for Worldcoin as it investigates whether people's information is being properly protected. 17What are the privacy concerns? 18Worldcoin's orbs collect data by taking images of a person's iris. While Worldcoin argues that the data is used to create a special, secure form of identification, privacy experts have concerns that the company may use the information in other ways, like personalized marketing. 19That has led some countries to investigate Worldcoin's operations, including France, Germany and now Kenya. 20Privacy experts are worried that Worldcoin could, in time, be a victim to criminals, similar to data thefts at other large companies. Privacy experts have said biometric data is already being sold in places like China and that could spread to other places. 21Last week, Worldcoin discussed the privacy concerns on its website. The company wrote everything is available as a choice and no personal data "is disclosed by default, enabling each holder to decide which (if any) personal data to share with third parties when using World ID." 22I'm John Russell. 23Ken Sweet and Evelyne Musambi reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 24____________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26biometric -- adj. relating to the statistical study of biological data 27scan -- v. to use a special machine to read or copy something into a computer 28cryptocurrency - n. a digital currency where records are kept in a decentralized system 29token - n. something that is used in place of a coin 30disclose - v. to make (something) known to the public 31by default - phrase used to describe something that happens or is done when nothing else has been done or can be done