Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has released a serious warning about Sam Altman's world of digital identity projects (WLD, formerly known as Worldcoin).
While the world, attracting attention with the record of over 13 million “unique people” continues to grow in the field of digital identity, Buterin said such projects could put online anonymity at risk.
In his paper published today, Butarin assesses the potential benefits and harms of digital identity systems using Zero Knowledge Proof (ZK), arguing that systems can threaten the privacy of internet users based on “personal identity” models such as the world.
“In a per person identity system wrapped in ZK, all online activities effectively carry out the risk of being mapped to a single identity,” Buterin said, noting that eliminating anonymity could have serious negative consequences in an environment of increasing digital threats.
World was developed by Tools for Humanity, a company founded by Sam Altman and Alex Blania. Users prove themselves human by scanning their eyes with a device called “Orbs” and receive both a World ID and WLD token. The biometric data used in the identity creation process is protected by ZK technology.
Buterin acknowledged the privacy benefits offered by ZK Technology, but noted that the imposition of a system's single identity can be damaging in the long run. Buterin said similar systems are becoming more global in regions such as the European Union and Taiwan.
“On the surface, the surge in ZK-driven digital IDs may seem like a huge benefit to social media, online voting, bots and fake accounts on various platforms,” writes Buterin, but warned that these systems can eliminate the freedom of users to manage multiple email or social media accounts.
The World Project is making progress despite criticism from privacy advocates. The US-launched World is preparing to issue visa cards and is taking steps to authenticate users through a pilot program with Japan's Tinder.
Despite these developments, butaline proposes a more multidimensional model.
“Instead of a singular identity system wrapped in ZK, we need to adopt a multidimensional structure in a place where multiple institutions, platforms, or where identities can be delivered differently by persons.”
*This is not investment advice.
