Worldcoin rebuts reports of lackluster takeup as Altman cites Japan queues

Amid discussions around the falling interest in Worldcoin —the blockchain project dedicated to building a user identity network — its co-founder Sam Altman shared a video that shows people in Japan lined up to give away their iris scans in exchange for “free” Worldcoin (WLD) tokens.

A video shared by Altman shows a long queue of people in Japan reportedly waiting to collect $50 worth of Worldcoin (WLD) tokens or 25 WLD. In exchange, the users are required to provide their identification through an iris scan.

day 3 of @worldcoin launch, crazy lines around the world. one person getting verified every 8 seconds now. pic.twitter.com/vHRu1sWMT3

— Sam Altman (@sama) July 26, 2023

“One person getting verified every 8 seconds now,” wrote Altman as he shared the video of people lining up for the Orb. However, Worldcoin has not yet responded to Cointelegraph’s request for comment to confirm the accuracy of the information shared on Twitter (rebranded to X).

As explained in the Worldcoin introductory letter, the Orb is a biometric verification device that provides a World ID to users upon successful biometric data collection. The company plans to set up Orb venues worldwide to expedite the onboarding process on a global scale.

While Japanese investors seemingly showed a greater interest in Worldcoin, not many Hong Kongers shared the same enthusiasm. As Cointelegraph reported, the three Orbs in Hong Kong cumulatively reported just 200 sign-ups on the first day and 600 in total.

Although on the surface, Worldcoin sign-ups seem like a step forward toward crypto adoption, entrepreneurs, including Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin believe the proposed system would be catastrophic if it were to work against the ethos — privacy, accessibility, decentralization — that the crypto ecosystem was founded on.

Related: Worldcoin token launch sparks response from Vitalik Buterin

Worldcoin may face resistance from the data regulators in the United Kingdom, as the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) reportedly raised concerns over privacy and critical biometric data safety.

However, an ICO spokesperson said they “have not announced anything publicly to confirm or deny if we are looking into Worldcoin. Until then, I would not be able to pass comments.”

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