Sam Altman's World raises $135M from Andreessen, Bain, to expand network
May 21 2025 - 5:16PM
Cointelegraph
World, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s digital identification project,
raised $135 million from venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz
and Bain Capital Crypto, the company said in an announcement.
The capital will be used to expand World's network of
iris-scanning orbs and infrastructure in the United States, where
the company said in April it would operate in six
cities, and increase coverage around the globe, according to
the announcement.
More than 12.5 million individuals in over 160 jurisdictions
have been issued a World ID, the company said.
The project, which collects biometric data from individuals to
establish "proof of personhood," faces regulatory headwinds and
bans in several countries. Critics of the project say that offering
financial incentives for biometric data
violates informed consent, sparking a debate about the ethics
of centralized digital ID systems and data privacy.
Major components of an iris-scanning World orb
visualized. Source: World
Related: Alarm bells ring in US over OpenAI’s
crypto project World
Scrutiny of Worldcoin continues, more governments ban
project
Brazil's National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) in January
ordered World to stop providing services in the country due to
concerns that incentivizing biometric data collection via
cryptocurrency payments violates informed consent.
The ANPD upheld the decision to ban World in March, citing
the company's business model of offering cryptocurrency payments to
users in return for their biometric data.
World faces fines of 50,000 Brazilian reais ($8,851) per day if
it continues to operate in the country.
Translated statement from Brazil’s ANPD maintaining
the World suspension. Source:
Brazilian Government
Indonesia's Ministry of Communications and Digital (Komdigi), a
data and communication watchdog, suspended World's business license on May 4 after
accusing some of the company's subsidiaries of failing to register
as digital asset service providers under the Electronic System
Operator Certificate Registration (TDPSE) framework.
Komdigi has launched an investigation into the project and will
meet with representatives from the subsidiaries following the
suspension to clarify the matter.
The bans in both countries follow a December 2024 order from the Bavarian State Office for Data Protection
Supervision (BayLDA), a German data protection regulator, demanding
that World adhere to the European Union's data protection standards
by allowing individuals the option to easily delete their biometric data from the
network.
Magazine: Worldcoin fined again! Crypto store clerk
runs off with $500K cash: Asia Express
...
Continue reading Sam Altman's World raises $135M
from Andreessen, Bain, to expand network
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Sam Altman's World raises $135M from Andreessen,
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