The crypto industry is no stranger to controversy, but few projects have attracted as much scrutiny as Sam Altman's global initiative. The project promises to verify human uniqueness through iris scanning and globally distribute its WLD tokens, claiming to be a tool for financial inclusion. However, critics argue that its biometric approach infringes on privacy, is overly centralized, and contradicts the ideals of decentralization and digital privacy.
The core criticism is that biometric identity systems, which rely on proprietary hardware, closed certification methods, and centralized data processing, cannot truly achieve decentralization. Despite the global use of tools such as multi-party computation and zero-knowledge proofs, the reliance on custom hardware 'Orb' and centralized code deployment undermines its claimed commitment to decentralization.
A spokesperson for global rebutted claims, stating that it does not use centralized biometric infrastructure and emphasized that its application is non-custodial, allowing users to control their digital assets and global IDs. The project claims that when the Orb generates an iris code, the iris photo is sent as an end-to-end encrypted data packet to the user's phone and is immediately deleted from the Orb, asserting that no personal data is stored.
Criticism continues to highlight that achieving decentralization in user experience and governance remains a challenge for global, particularly concerning data centralization, trust assumptions, and governance issues.
Critics argue that global biometric solutions could lead to digital exclusion. Relying on iris scans to unlock services may deepen global inequalities, as when biometric data becomes a prerequisite for accessing basic services, it effectively creates a hierarchical society.
Regulators in multiple countries have expressed concerns about global operations, with Germany, Kenya, and Brazil raising issues regarding the security risks of users' biometric data since July 2023. Recently, regulators in Indonesia temporarily suspended global registration.
As artificial intelligence becomes more complex, issues related to AI and identity are not limited to any specific government system or region. The co-founder of Privado ID stated that without reliable human and AI agent verification, the digital ecosystem will face increasing threats such as misinformation, fraud, and national security vulnerabilities.
