News: 0177243437

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Sam Altman's Eye-Scanning ID Project Launches In US

(Thursday May 01, 2025 @05:20PM (BeauHD) from the proof-of-human dept.)


Sam Altman's eye-scanning identity project, now called World, [1]officially launched in the U.S. with six in-person registration sites . CNBC reports:

> Here's how it works: You go up to an Orb, a spherical biometric device, and it spends about 30 seconds scanning your face and iris, then creates and stores a unique "IrisCode" for you verifying that you're a human and that you've never signed up before. Then you get some of the project's cryptocurrency, WLD, for free, and you can use your World ID as a sign-in with integrated platforms, which currently include an open API integration with Minecraft, Reddit, Telegram, Shopify and Discord.

>

> Starting Thursday, the company is opening six flagship U.S. retail locations where people can sign up to have their eyeball scanned: Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, Miami and San Francisco. At an event in San Francisco on Wednesday, the venture announced two high-profile partnerships: Visa will introduce the "World Visa card" this summer, available only to people who have had their irises scanned by World, and the online dating giant Match Group will begin a pilot program testing out World ID and some age verification tools with Tinder in Japan.



[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/30/sam-altman-eye-scanning-id.html



Creepy as fuck, no thanks (Score:5, Insightful)

by iAmWaySmarterThanYou ( 10095012 )

I'm sure there's some good use for this and of course it will never be a used in any way.

And Sam is a good guy!

Hard pass.

I am not an atomic playboy (Score:2)

by Thud457 ( 234763 )

Sam Altman is no [1]Eric Bloom [youtube.com]

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLOrAzfdY7E

Re: Creepy as fuck, no thanks (Score:1)

by RealMelancon ( 4422677 )

M.Altman only wants one thing. Join the billionaire club, and he will succeed. Damages along the line? Who cares!

I don't think so! (Score:4, Insightful)

by gabrieltss ( 64078 )

Go straight to hell Sam Altman! Take your eye scanning and go to China and North Korea!

Biometrics are too easily forced (Score:4, Interesting)

by rtkluttz ( 244325 )

Biometrics in most cases are too easy to have forced on you. Law enforcement in certain cases have been authorized to force people to use biometrics, as in physically forcing them the provide fingerprints or face scans. Never. I will use things in my head only. I will share my accounts with whoever I trust and any biometric system that I use will be used in a way that uniquely identifies an account to the system without necessarily tying that account to a real human identity.

Re: (Score:2)

by JamesTRexx ( 675890 )

> without necessarily tying that account to a real human identity

I thought about that, but te problem is pets don't live as long as I do.

Besides, I don't trust the dog to not abuse his mug to order and pay for way too many snacks at the online store.

Oh Hell No (Score:2)

by Subgenius ( 95662 )

Hell No.

Imagine if this gets a rug pull. Or more likely, the value of the crypto is ZERO, and you have provided your most unchangeable biometric markers for the price of a gumball.

Even better, people start getting killed or maimed for their real biometric data.

No no no no no no no

what problem does this solve? (Score:3)

by dfghjk ( 711126 )

It doesn't matter "how it works" when it's not clear what it is for. What problem does it solve? And for whom? And how is it deployed? And why is this part of an openAI portfolio?

Don't we have authentication already? Why do we want to involve Sam Altman in it?

Re: (Score:2)

by hey! ( 33014 )

It solves the problem of you giving them your biometric in return for a consideration that costs them nothing.

Re: (Score:2)

by nightflameauto ( 6607976 )

The problem it solves is simple: Rich folks needed an excuse to own more of your data. Biometrics is just data to them, and they need to own *ALL* the data. Even the data that is "you."

Re: (Score:2)

by Cyberpunk Reality ( 4231325 )

What problem does it solve? It tries to solve the "problem" that Sam Altman (and his investors) don't have as much money as they want, and don't have your biometric data, either.

Privacy Rapists abound! (Score:2)

by Sebby ( 238625 )

> You go up to an Orb, a spherical biometric device, and it spends about 30 seconds scanning your face and iris, then creates and stores a unique "IrisCode" for you verifying that you're a human

Privacy Rapists keep privacy rapin'

What the fuck is wrong with these guys (Score:2)

by TuringTest ( 533084 )

What fucked up culture do startup tech bros live in, that they see all the technology used by Bond villains to enslave the world and think, "hey I could make that work!"??

Dudes, overreaching anti-privacy abuseable tech got a bad rep for a reason.

Re: (Score:3)

by nightflameauto ( 6607976 )

> What fucked up culture do startup tech bros live in, that they see all the technology used by Bond villains to enslave the world and think, "hey I could make that work!"?? Dudes, overreaching anti-privacy abuseable tech got a bad rep for a reason.

These are the kids that read all the same sci-fi stories we read as kids, but identified with the villains and wanted to be the ones to create the dystopia everyone else has to suffer. We read a warning, they read a blueprint.

Ah yes (Score:3)

by DrXym ( 126579 )

These are the same shitheads who rocked up to impoverished villages and got them to scan their eyeballs for some pittance reward.

Well, that's something (Score:2)

by cstacy ( 534252 )

Something you know

Something you have

Something that can be popped out of your skull

If needed for something that matters

I know this sounds trite

But I have

A bad feeling about this

Re: (Score:2)

by Ol Olsoc ( 1175323 )

> Something you know Something you have Something that can be popped out of your skull If needed for something that matters

> I know this sounds trite But I have A bad feeling about this

You and a lot of people in here have that bad feeling. As part of my work, my fingerprints - the original biometric - has been on file with the FBI since the mid 70's without any problems at all.

What is the Slashdot analysis of how this will be used for evil?

You are the carbon... (Score:1)

by _dj6_ ( 8250908 )

How can they instruct OpenHal to handle that for them if they don't have an accurate inventory of all the carbon units that require disposal? RESIST You are the carbon they want to reduce!!!

Scan my brown eye (Score:2)

by zawarski ( 1381571 )

The one that winks and stinks.

I'm not a lawyer. I don't even play one on TV.

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