Sam Altman’s Eye-Scanning Crypto Project ‘Worldcoin’ Expands to the U.S.

Worldcoin, the biometric crypto initiative co-founded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, is now live in the United States despite rising privacy concerns.

Worldcoin, the identity-focused crypto project using iris-scanning hardware called "Orbs", has officially launched in the United States. The expansion will see Orbs set up in over 30 U.S. cities, offering individuals a chance to verify their “World ID” and receive WLD tokens in exchange.

This U.S. rollout comes after months of global deployments across Europe, Asia, and South America, but also amid ongoing scrutiny over privacy, data protection, and ethical concerns around biometric data collection. Worldcoin claims that its system is built to ensure personal data is not stored after verification, relying on zero-knowledge proofs and privacy-preserving technology.

The company emphasizes that the World ID is not just for crypto rewards but also aims to create a decentralized identity system that can be used for voting, distinguishing humans from bots online, and universal basic income distribution in the future.

Despite its promise, Worldcoin has faced regulatory hurdles in several countries including Germany, France, and Kenya—where operations were paused over legal and ethical challenges.

The U.S. launch, however, marks a significant milestone for the project, especially as AI technologies (like those from OpenAI) become increasingly integrated with blockchain applications.

The team behind Worldcoin includes co-founders Sam Altman, Alex Blania, and Max Novendstern. The project is backed by prominent VCs and crypto firms, and its WLD token is currently available on major exchanges.

As Worldcoin pushes forward with its bold vision of global identity and financial inclusion, the debate between innovation and privacy remains front and center.

Author
Surabh Yadav