The cryptocurrency project Worldcoin, developed by the creators of AI chatbot ChatGPT, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has encountered regulatory obstacles with its Orb iris verification service, leading to its suspension in India, Brazil, and France.
According to Techcrunch, Worldcoin began offering its Orb iris verification service only a few months ago in India, Brazil, and France. However, it has now announced the suspension of its services in these countries. Tools for Humanity, the foundation overseeing Worldcoin’s development, stated that Orb has been expanded to many markets this year but only provided “limited access.”
The sudden suspension of services comes as a surprise, as Worldcoin had established numerous locations in India to allow new users to access the platform, resulting in large crowds queuing up for registration and free token distribution. Over the past few months, the head of Worldcoin in India had been privately complaining about regulatory obstacles faced by the project in the market.
Indian users can still use WorldApp despite the suspension of Orb services. Lily Gordon, a spokesperson for Tools for Humanity, stated that Worldcoin remains committed to collaborating with global partners to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and provide secure, reliable, and transparent services for verifiers.
Earlier this month, Lily Gordon also mentioned that Worldcoin started its global tour in various cities worldwide, including Tokyo, in April 2023. The tour is expected to end in summer and will allow people in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia to experience the Orb iris verification service for the first time. Orb will be available in more cities globally after the launch of the Worldcoin protocol.
Worldcoin officially launched globally in July this year, allowing individuals to download the World App and use the Orb iris verification service to obtain a personalized World ID and receive free Worldcoin tokens.
Brazil and France were among the cities visited during Orb’s global tour. Prior to the tour, India had already begun offering Orb iris verification services. Worldcoin even hired additional contractors to expand Orb verification work in cities like New Delhi until October this year. Although Orb services have been suspended in multiple markets, Indian users can still utilize the WorldApp.
Recently, Worldcoin introduced a major upgrade called World ID 2.0 to improve internet identity verification mechanisms and enhance user experience. This version introduces three different security levels, enabling users to create accounts even without using the Worldcoin Orb iris scanning.
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iris