OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s Worldcoin App Crashes as User Count Hits 2.2 Million
The mobile app of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s Worldcoin came to a halt in the early hours of Monday due to a surge in user sign-ups. The controversial eyeball-scanning project, which aims to verify users’ identities, has attracted nearly 2.2 million unique users in just two weeks since its launch. However, concerns over data privacy and security have plagued the cryptocurrency initiative, leading to regulatory reviews.
Over the past week alone, Worldcoin reported a staggering 257,853 new accounts created worldwide on its World App platform. Impressively, the first account was registered on May 5, 2021, and in less than a year, the app achieved its first milestone of one million users on January 5, 2023.
Launched after three years of development, Altman’s Worldcoin faced scrutiny for its iris-scanning approach to verify human users and distinguish them from online robots. Critics question whether the benefits of this form of identity verification outweigh the potential privacy risks. Upon successful verification, users are rewarded with 25 Worldcoin (WLD) tokens, currently valued at around $51. The World App’s wallet stores these tokens alongside a digital scan of the user’s eyeballs and a unique World ID, enabling them to prove their identity to third parties without compromising additional personal information.
Forbes provides valuable insights into the Worldcoin project. They clarify the purpose of the iris-scanning crypto project and OpenAI’s involvement, highlighting the widespread concerns surrounding this type of identification process. The article delves into the ongoing debate regarding the trade-off between privacy and the advantages of iris-based verification.
In a separate report, Reuters reveals that the German data watchdog is investigating the Worldcoin crypto project, shedding light on the international attention it has garnered. The probe suggests increasing regulatory scrutiny on Worldcoin, emphasizing the need for careful examination of its privacy practices.
In summary, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s Worldcoin App faced a temporary setback when it crashed due to a surge in user sign-ups. The project has attracted over 2.2 million users since its recent launch but has encountered regulatory challenges and concerns over privacy. With ongoing scrutiny and investigations, the fate of the Worldcoin crypto project hangs in the balance.
