Expands eye scan verification services to Mexico and Singapore
Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency The project, co-founded by Sam Altman, said it now supports integrations for its World ID with Minecraft, Reddit, Telegram, Shopify and Mercado Libre. The company already supports integrations with Okta’s Discord, Talent Protocol, and Auth0.
The protocol, which was released to the public about four months ago, was recently updated to World ID 2.0, which the company says makes it easier to distinguish between bots and “verified people” online.
“It’s a much easier way for developers to build integrations,” Tiago Sada, head of product for Tools for Humanity and a key contributor to Worldcoin, told TechCrunch. “We’ve rebuilt the way it works.”
The new integrations, for example, will allow Reddit moderators to give special permissions to those using their World ID “so they know you’re not spamming,” Sada said. Or, Shopify store owners can use World ID for fraud prevention or one-time promotions.
“It’s not just about the first wave of apps, it’s about a new developer platform where developers can build,” Sada said. “We’re excited to see what people think […] the best ideas come from developers.”
Three new types of global identities
The company has also created three different levels of authentication: The “casual” or “World ID device level” involves downloading the Worldcoin app and creating a World ID. You don’t need to use the Worldcoin Orb to scan your irises to prove you’re an individual and you only need to create a profile. The “standard” or “World ID Orb” level involves creating a profile and also having your irises scanned by one of the company’s Orbs to verify your identity. “High” or “World ID Orb+” security requires that you also use facial recognition to secure the app in addition to the previous two steps, Sada said.
Image Credits: Worldcoin (opens in new window)
When creating a World ID, users do not need to provide their real name or identity, Sada said. “You can use it completely anonymously. the only thing you’re doing is proving that you’re unique.”
But it is not bulletproof. You can use one World ID per device, so if you have a phone and an iPad for example, you can create two World IDs. You can do this until you choose to be scanned by an orb, after which you can only have one ID.
“There are use cases where it’s not enough,” Sada acknowledged. “It’s not perfect, but it could help prevent system abuse, like voting 100 times in a poll or having hundreds – if not thousands – of accounts,” he added.
Expansion plans
In addition, Worldcoin is expanding its operations in Mexico and Singapore. Sada said the company is also working to bring it to more countries in Asia. “The goal is to have Orbs available in any country for registration […] They are two more countries on a long list [of countries]; it will take time.”
While the crypto project is steady in advancing its growth, it has also faced some headwinds. Earlier this year, Kenya banned Worldcoin from scanning other eyes of its citizens over concerns that the company had failed to inform users about the data security and privacy measures it had taken.
Separately, some critics have claimed that the company targets developing countries and their residents, since it gives most participants (outside the US and some other countries) 25 WLD tokens, valued at approximately $60.5, in exchange for registration.
But that didn’t stop development. Nearly 5 million people worldwide have a World ID, and about 2.6 million people scan their irises with the Orb hardware to verify their identity. In the past seven days, more than 100,000 people have created new accounts, according to the Website.
“Five million people are still a long way from the world [adopting it,]Santa said. “So [2024 is] to make things better, but also to bring people closer together around the world.”
