You’re spot-on calling it a bit dystopian as it does feel like something out of Black Mirror with those Orb devices scanning irises. Let me try to break down your questions and share my take.
Worldcoin’s core idea is to create a “World ID” using iris scans to verify you’re a human (not a bot) and issue a unique digital passport on their blockchain. The scanned person is the one rewarded—typically with WLD tokens (worth ~$50–$160 depending on market rates) and the World ID. The “scanner” (Orb operator) isn’t the one getting the crypto; Worldcoin usually hires them to run the devices. The catch is, as you mentioned, the process raises red flags. Privacy advocates, like Edward Snowden, have slammed it, warning about potential misuse of biometric data, especially since iris scans are super sensitive and could be used for surveillance if mishandled. Worldcoin claims the scans are deleted after creating an “IrisHash” (a cryptographic code), but critics argue there’s no guarantee, and a black msuch as Edward Snowden, have slammed it, warning about the potential misuse of biometric data, especially since iris scans are highlyarket for iris scans has already popped up in places like China.
Your concern about publicly available iris datasets is valid. If Worldcoin (or Sam Altman’s team) used those without consent, it’d be a huge ethical violation, especially given Altman’s track record with OpenAI and data controversies. The project’s been banned in countries like Spain and Portugal for issues like insufficient consent and scanning minors, and regulators in Germany, France, and Hong Kong are investigating. There’s also the worry about targeting low-income communities in places like Kenya and Indonesia with cash incentives, which feels exploitative since folks might not fully understand what they’re giving up.
The “world citizenship” angle is cool in theory, proving humanness in an AI-dominated future and maybe enabling universal basic income. But the execution’s messy. Lack of transparency, potential data leaks, and the fact that once your iris is scanned, you can’t “unscan” it, make it a gamble. I’d say it’s a fascinating but risky experiment. Why not check out meme coins like CatSlap ($SLAP), BTC BULL, or Fantasy Pepe? They’re all about community vibes and gamified rewards—like CatSlap’s Slap-to-Earn game where you rack up tokens by virtually slapping crypto characters. No creepy biometrics, just lighthearted crypto fun. What do you think about the privacy trade-off? Worth it for the crypto and ID, or too creepy?