The global biometric business is not booming, and one of the recent moves against it was by Brazil which banned World's project from continuing in the country, as they recently opened up their program that collects iris scans from the public. The Sam Altman co-founded venture, World, has been making significant buzz in the tech industry, particularly as it offers the Worldcoin cryptocurrency as payment for a person's biometrics.
It is important to note that Brazil is not the only country that upheld a ban against World's operations in their respective countries, and they have since labeled it as a massive privacy breach amongst citizens, hence the block.
Sam Altman's World Faces a Ban in Brazil For Iris Scanning
A recent announcement shared by the Brazilian government made it known that it banned the service known as 'World' in their country, alongside going against the company, 'Tools for Humanity.' Tools for Humanity is known for co-founding the service previously known as 'Worldcoin' with Sam Altman as part of their global goal of replacing passwords using iris scanning authentication.
However, Brazil's ANPD revealed that it is taking preventive measures against Tools for Humanity and World as it sought to protect Brazilians' data, more particularly their iris scans from being kept by the company on record.
Additionally, Brazil regarded that World's service may impede a person's "free expression of will" as they offer monetary compensation from their cryptocurrency, Worldcoin, which is given for free in exchange for their biometrics.
Read Also: Elon Musk, Sam Altman Engage on a Heated Social Media Debate Whether or Not Stargate Is Legit
Iris Scanning For Worldcoin Crypto? Brazil Says 'No'
World has been the talk of the town since it revealed its plans years ago, with the company looking to collect iris scans which they will keep on record, giving away a digital ID in exchange for cryptocurrency. It is also known that World created hardware known as "Orb" which can scan iris biometrics that may be later used to authenticate or verify logins, as one's digital ID is already registered with the company.
Despite their intentions to create a global verification platform, Brazil still suspended its operations and placed a ban on its operations to collect private biometric data.
World and Its Iris Scanning Crypto Project
Four years ago, Sam Altman and Tools For Humanity banded together to create the startup company known as 'World,' and they have since been on a quest to collect iris biometrics from all around the globe for the future. The goal is to soon introduce a new verification method that would get rid of the old username and password method by scanning one's eyeballs to authenticate accounts and more.
While the idea is innovative for many, and the public is massive fans as the company offered Worldcoin cryptocurrencies to those who would share their eyeballs, many countries have since denounced the idea. Kenya was among the first to suspend the service in their country as thousands have joined the program in exchange for money but has since been a privacy nightmare for governments.
The company also looked to expand in Europe but was met with scrutiny from the likes of Spain and Portugal who both banned the technology and its services from collecting iris scans in exchange for cryptocurrency. Despite all the scrutiny it faced, it still went forth with launching the service in Brazil and now faced a ban, with World's recent rebrand not paying off.
