Cryptocurrency has again broken ground, this time in the illicit exchange of biometric data. Per a report by China-based crypto outlet BlockBeats, people are buying detailed scans of irises in order to get access to a project called Worldcoin—which is headed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The project provides a type of universal basic income to all users who present an “Orb,” a physical device which can store high-resolution images of your body and face.
The verified “World IDs”. which are essentially certificates that affirm someone as a unique person, are not available in mainland China. Thus, the scammers have resorted to buying iris data from Cambodia and Kenya at incredibly low prices, as low as $30. Additionally, OpenAI has accused a few hundred uses of trying to get around the standard signup process through fraud. Furthermore, the company has reported the infestation of malware with Orb operators which obtained their login details from dark web marketplaces, though they claim no sensitive data was taken.
OpenAI has been met with criticism from the MIT Technology Review who have labeled the project as exploiting the poverty of people in order to gain data. The question is: How is this project still operational if it has been caught in such malicious activity? Sam Altman is determined to continue the project, however, as he plans to raise another $100 million in funding. Unfortunately, this coincides with the indictment of a former investor, Sam Bankman-Fried, of the crypto company FTX.
OpenAI is a leading company in modern artificial intelligence with Sam Altman as one of its figureheads. He has acted as an early partner of Y Combinator and held a brief but important CEO position at Reddit. It is in 2020 that Altman co-founded Worldcoin and put most of his energy into OpenAI, causing worries regarding the security of his project. He voluntarily declared itself in favor of AI regulation, as long as it does not limit the access of its customers.
Altman is an early investor and entrepreneur who has had multiple successes, including Reddit and OpenAI. He has come under scrutiny for his development of Worldcoin, which may be contributing to a black market that exchanges biometric data. Other concerns include the security of the system and the potential exploitation of poverty, as Worldcoin has been taken to task for targeting people of limited means. Despite its troubles, Altman is still willing to move forward with the project, attempting to raise an additional $100 million in funding. His shady investment history is amplifying these concerns among the public, leading some to doubt the security and legitimacy of Worldcoin.
