Sam Altman’s Worldcoin unveiled a new personal data custody feature and made the core software of its iris-scanning Orb open source.
Worldcoin‘s Orb scans individuals’ irises to create World IDs, biometrically unique accounts aimed at establishing a global basic income through the distribution of its WLD token.
During a time of skepticism and regulatory scrutiny, particularly over its handling of sensitive biometric data, Worldcoin has taken steps to increase transparency and user control. The project recently announced that the core software powering the Orb’s functionality would be open source, allowing public scrutiny and contributing to its development.
WLD has been up 24% over the past month, according to data from CoinGecko.
Worldcoin also introduces a personal custody feature, marking a pivotal shift in storing and managing biometric data. Under the new model, the biometric data captured by the Orb during the World ID verification process will be stored on the user’s device, typically a smartphone.
The feature empowers users with the autonomy to manage their data directly, including the option to delete it, thereby enhancing trust and mitigating privacy concerns.
Worldcoin’s developments come as the project has registered approximately 4.5 million people worldwide and faces regulatory challenges, including a temporary ban in Spain.