The world of Sam Altman’s blockchain project has caused controversy in the past due to the use of iris scanning technology to create digital identities. But the world foundation advisor Liam Horne says that the controversy around that technology, known as Orbes, is often misunderstood.
It is “in reality the opposite”, of what critics share with respect to World or Altman who possess that data, Thorne said Wednesday on a 2025 consensus panel. “The data literally never leaves the world.”
World Network uses its orbs (Chrome, bowling balls) to make iris scans that verify the unique identity of an individual as part of a system called “Person test.” When a user looks for an orb, the device maps their iris and immediately converts biometric into an address that presents the privacy known as the World ID, which shows that a user is a real and unique human being, instead of a bot.
The project has faced a scrutiny in multiple jurisdictions, with regulators in Europe, Africa and Asia raising concerns about privacy and data consent. But Horne reiterated that the system is designed to preserve privacy from scratch.
Previously, the orbs were only available in selected places in South America, Asia and Africa, but earlier this month, the team behind the world shared that they were expanding to the United States and bringing orbs to six different cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and San Francisco.
Read more: the World Crypto Project project by Sam Altman is launched in the US
