Sam Altman’s World Blockchain Project World has aroused controversy in the past due to its use of IRIS scanning technology to create digital identities. But the World Foundation advisor Liam Horne says that the controversy around this technology, known as Orbs, is often poorly understood.
It is “in fact the complete opposite” of what criticisms share concerning the world or Altman having this data, said Thorne on Wednesday in a panel of consensus 2025. “The data literally never leaves the orb.”
The global network uses its orbs – chrome and in the shape of a ball -shaped bowling alley – to carry out iris scans which check the unique identity of an individual in the context of a system called “proof of person”. When a user examines an orb, the apparatus maps its iris and immediately converts the biometric into an address preserving the confidentiality known as the global identification, which proves that a user is a real and unique human being, rather than a bot.
The project is faced with a meticulous examination in several jurisdictions, regulators in Europe, Africa and Asia, raising concerns about confidentiality and data consent. But Horne reiterated that the system is designed to preserve confidentiality from zero.
Previously, the Orb were only available in selected places in South America, Asia and Africa, but earlier this month, the team behind the world shared that they extended to the United States and bringing orbs in six different cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and San Francisco.
Read more: The World Crypto project by Sam Altman is launching
