Last week, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman announced his ambitious plan for the World project, formerly known as Worldcoin.
The company presented its 6 new locations in the United States, where people can go to get their biometric data collected from a creepy iris scanner called The Orb.
But this isn’t just a cryptocurrency grift anymore, this is much more dystopian.
In this article, I describe the risk of using such service, the unethical practices the World project has been employing to gather numbers, and how this is a slippery slope towards the normalization of mass surveillance we should all worry about.
Another fantastic article! Many countries and corporations around the world are pushing for biometric national IDs and verification to become the norm, and it’s extremely alarming. I worry that it is inevitable and that there is nothing we can do, especially in countries where national IDs already exist.
QUESTION FOR EVERYONE:
Have you ever had to provide biometric data to verify your identity when dealing with a business and/or non-governmental institution?
I remember my university professor telling me about one of his friends who was from a country where every time you visit your bank for performing a task, they verify your fingerprints. Your physical driver’s license ID was not enough. To me, that is insane.
This reminds me of when I went to a WeWork building for the first time. I was meeting someone, and I had to present my ID and have my picture taken. I was also wearing a mask, and they asked me to remove it for the picture. It was extremely uncomfortable. Even if you are delivering food, you have to go through this privacy invasive process.
What made it even more perplexing is that everywhere around the building you had signs that said “no guns allowed”. And yet, absolutely no one came to pat me down to see if I was carrying any firearms (I wasn’t). I also didn’t go through any metal scanner.
So essentially, WeWork prefers to verify a shooter’s ID and let them kill people, than not verify their ID, and prevent people from dying. Brilliant!
Thank you PurpleDime! That’s a excellent question!
Personally, I’ve had a similar experience when visiting WeWork. I simply refused to provide a picture, and it was not a problem to enter.
Similarly, I was asked to provide a face scan for a background check required for employment once.
I refused to provide biometric data, as it is absolutely not required to conduct a background check. The employer simply verified my identity in-person with official ID and used a different vendor that was not requiring biometrics to conduct the background check.
Do not hesitate to ask to opt out invasive practices! The law might even be on your side depending on your location!
Sadly, many companies asked for biometric data even when it’s illegal for them to do so.
