Article – The digital money world just got a strange new rule. You need to scan your eyes to use a new type of cryptocurrency.
Worldcoin, created by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, requires an eyeball scan to prove you’re human. Their special “Orb” device takes pictures of your iris – the colored part of your eye.
The company says this stops bots and fake accounts. But many people worry about privacy. Do we really want companies collecting our eye data?
“Biometric verification crosses a line,” says Maya Cohen, digital rights advocate. “Once your eye scan is out there, you can’t take it back.”
Over 1.5 million people worldwide have already gotten their eyes scanned. Most live in countries with weaker privacy laws than the US or Europe.
The company promises they don’t store actual eye images – just a code made from them. But tech experts remain skeptical.
“Any system collecting body data needs extreme scrutiny,” says Dr. James Lin, professor of digital ethics. “The potential for misuse is enormous.”
Worldcoin offers users 25 free tokens after verification. Critics call this a way to get poor communities to trade privacy for small rewards.
The cryptocurrency market keeps trying new ideas to stand out. Some use less energy. Others offer faster transactions. But Worldcoin’s eye scanning approach is the most invasive yet.
Several countries including Kenya have already banned Worldcoin operations. German privacy regulators launched investigations last month.
“Companies must stop treating human biology as just another data point,” argues Cohen. “Our bodies aren’t commodities.”
For average users, the question becomes personal: Is free crypto worth letting a company scan your eyes?
As artificial intelligence grows more advanced, proving you’re human might become more common. But should that proof require your physical features?
The technology raises important questions about the future of identity and privacy in our increasingly digital world.
Before joining any service that wants your biometric data, experts recommend reading privacy policies carefully and considering what happens if that data leaks.
Our eyes might be windows to our souls. Soon they could also be keys to our digital wallets.
