Skip to content

Worldcoin concerns: ‘Evil product’ warning and questions around WLD distribution

Worldcoin concerns: 'Evil product' warning and questions around WLD distribution

Not long after company Tools for Humanity launched Worldcoin (WLD), a token for the privacy-preserving digital identity project co-developed by Sam Altman, the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, the platform behind artificial intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT, concerns arose about the project.

Specifically, Cosine, the co-founder of the blockchain and decentralized finance (DeFi) security platform SlowMist, referred to Worldcoin as an “evil creation” should it succeed, although “it has a high probability of failure,” in a Twitter thread shared on July 24.

Staying vigilant

Moreover, while sharing a post by Vitalik Buterin, in which the Ethereum (ETH) co-founder discusses Worldcoin and ‘the Orb,’ its specialized biometrics hardware that scans each user’s iris, Cosine focused on one particular point, that “it’s important to exercise a lot of vigilance.”

According to him, many people think that the Orb hashes the iris and uses zero-knowledge to make a PoP (proof-of-personhood) with high privacy, which seems safe. However, from a hacker perspective, “even if all I have is the hash, I could potentially recreate your portrait. Don’t forget, what I aim to construct is the World ID, which will likely have a vast and diverse user base in the future.”

Worldcoin schematic. Source: Cos(余弦)

Furthermore, he added:

“What is the iris? It is one of the most stable and long-lasting unique identifiers of a person (unless you are blind). It is much more reliable than facial or fingerprint recognition. I have read the Worldcoin white paper, and the promises in it seem very appealing. However, we still need to remain cautious and vigilant when dealing with new things.”

Regulatory uncertainty?

At the same time, a pro-XRP legal expert known for his role in the legal standoff between the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and blockchain company Ripple, John E. Deaton, voiced his own concerns about the Worldcoin project.

Specifically, he shared a video of an interview with the project’s co-founders Altman and Alex Blania, in which the latter refused to discuss the distribution of Worldcoin “because of the regulatory uncertainty” in the US, stating that this was a “signal to RUN AWAY as fast as you can” from Worldcoin.

“Is he saying he can’t tell you how to acquire it or what you’re acquiring because he might get sued? Now that I think of it, is he being smart and just following legal advice, or is he a moron.”

On the other hand, according to Deaton, “this is an example of the chaos caused when you have bad faith regulators like [the SEC chief] Gary Gensler intentionally keeping the regulatory environment as unknowable,” with which several commenters agreed.

Meanwhile, the WLD token has started to trend sideways following the initial massive demand and price increase and is presently trading at the price of $2.0273, which suggests a decline of 20.51% on the day, according to the latest data seen by Finbold on July 25.

Disclaimer: The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk. 

Best Crypto Exchange for Intermediate Traders and Investors

  • Invest in cryptocurrencies and 3,000+ other assets including stocks and precious metals.

  • 0% commission on stocks - buy in bulk or just a fraction from as little as $10. Other fees apply. For more information, visit etoro.com/trading/fees.

  • Copy top-performing traders in real time, automatically.

  • eToro USA is registered with FINRA for securities trading.

30+ million Users
Securities trading offered by eToro USA Securities, Inc. (“the BD”), member of FINRA and SIPC. Cryptocurrency offered by eToro USA LLC (“the MSB”) (NMLS: 1769299) and is not FDIC or SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, and content is provided for educational purposes only, does not imply a recommendation, and is not a guarantee of future performance. Finbold.com is not an affiliate and may be compensated if you access certain products or services offered by the MSB and/or the BD

Read Next:

Finance Digest

By subscribing you agree with Finbold T&C’s & Privacy Policy

Related posts

Sign Up

or

By submitting my information, I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Already have an account?

Services

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Finbold is a news and information website. This Site may contain sponsored content, advertisements, and third-party materials, for which Finbold expressly disclaims any liability.

RISK WARNING: Cryptocurrencies are high-risk investments and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. (Click here to learn more about cryptocurrency risks.)

By accessing this Site, you acknowledge that you understand these risks and that Finbold bears no responsibility for any losses, damages, or consequences resulting from your use of the Site or reliance on its content. Click here to learn more.