Sam Altman, the co-founder of Worldcoin, shared a video of people in Japan lining up to trade their iris scans for “free” Worldcoin (WLD) tokens despite discussions about the cryptocurrency’s popularity declining.
A video shared by Altman depicts a lengthy line of individuals in Japan reportedly waiting to acquire Worldcoin (WLD) tokens worth $50 or 25 WLD. In exchange, users are required to identify themselves through an iris scan.
“One person is now getting verified every eight seconds,” Altman wrote as he shared a video of people waiting in line for the Orb.
According to the Worldcoin introduction letter, the Orb is a biometric verification device that provides users with a World ID upon effectively collecting biometric data. The company intends to establish Orb locations worldwide to expedite global registration.
While Japanese investors appeared to be more enthusiastic about Worldcoin, few Hong Kongers shared the same enthusiasm. According to Cointelegraph, the three Orbs in Hong Kong reported 200 signups on the first day and 600 in total.
On the surface, Worldcoin sign-ups are a step forward for crypto adoption. However, entrepreneurs, including Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, believe the proposed system would be catastrophic if it worked against the crypto ecosystem’s founding principles of privacy, accessibility, and decentralization.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is rumored to have raised concerns over privacy and critical biometric data security, which could pose a challenge for Worldcoin in the United Kingdom.
A spokesperson for the ICO stated, “We have not publicly confirmed or denied whether we are investigating Worldcoin.” I would not be able to comment until then.”
