World Network reaches 10 million ‘verified humans’ amid continued legal blocks

While it continues to face legal challenges worldwide, iris biometrics and digital identity company World has signed up 10 million people to its World Network.

A brief video posted to World’s X account shows a montage of different people handling variations on the Orb, the spherical iris-scanning hardware device it is aiming to mass produce for use by “community ambassadors.”

The only text in the video reads, “One network. 10 million verified humans. Thank you.”

By registering iris biometrics, users gain what the firm calls “proof of human” – a way to confirm in digital transactions that they are a real person, and not an AI agent or bot – along with access to World’s digital wallet product and WLD cryptocurrency.

Chile brings down gavel on World for collecting biometrics of minors

With the concept of “proof of personhood” (PoP) gaining steam as a unifying principle for digital ID, identity verification and authentication rooted in blockchain and decentralized ledger models, World has been engaged in an ongoing game of hopscotch with data regulators.

To date, South America has been a relatively successful market for World. But it took a legal blow this week, when Chile’s Supreme Court upheld a protection appeal filed by an attorney who discovered World had scanned his 17-year-old daughter’s irises without his consent.

According to CIPER 17, the Supreme Court “ruled that constitutional guarantees regarding the right to privacy in personal data had been violated” and gave World 30 days to “delete the minor’s World ID, eliminating all records, storage and processing of the minor’s biometric data from the Worldcoin and World App databases.”

The report includes a response from World, which tells CIPER that its tech “incorporates advanced privacy-preserving features that guarantee anonymity and full compliance with all applicable local laws where it has a presence, including Chile’s data protection laws.”

World noted that all personal data used to create a World ID is stored “exclusively on the person’s device (cell phone, tablet or PC) and is not retained by the World App or by third parties.”

However, it also purportedly offered the Santiago Court of Appeals a certificate proving that the minor’s data had already been erased. “But, in the opinion of Lagos and Bascur, this document did not comply with the necessary formalities to ensure that this had effectively occurred. Both were surprised that the certificate was issued by Tools for Humanity Corporation.”

TFH was initially billed as the parent company of Worldcoin, which rebranded as World in October 2024. Since the pivot, it has been repositioned as a “contributor.”

Strategy demonstrates urgent push for PoP as AI goes mainstream

World, which counts OpenAI CEO Sam Altman among its core leadership, has not been shy about the scale of its ambitions, and has not reached 10 million users with a particularly gentle approach.

To date, the project’s strategy has been like a blitz: set up Orb stations everywhere it can. Collect iris biometrics for enrollment in World Network and offer financial incentives in the form of WLD tokens. Then wait for the regulatory shoe to drop.

The tactic has allowed World to test its reception by users and governments alike. So far, it has raised hackles among regulators across the board. Europe has proven to pose regulatory challenges, with German regulators recently ruling that it violates the GDPR. Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic also recently ordered the firm to suspend its activities, citing data privacy concerns.

The coming year is likely to be crucial for World, as generative AI continues to saturate the mainstream and the issue of digital personhood gains new urgency.

Article Topics

biometric data  |  biometric identifiers  |  biometrics  |  Chile  |  data collection  |  data protection  |  iris biometrics  |  proof of personhood  |  World  |  World ID  |  World ID Orb