Worldcoin's eyeball scanning Orb is getting an Apple-style makeover: report

Quick Take

  • Tools for Humanity’s Orb, which scans people’s eyeballs in order to verify they are humans as part of the Worldcoin project, will be upgraded to make the device look more like “an Apple product,” according to the company’s CEO.

Tools for Humanity CEO Alex Blania said the company plans to update its iris-scanning Orb to make the device look more like "an Apple product," according to a report by TechCrunch

"The new Orb is coming and the next iterations will look quite different,” said Blania, while admitting  people either "hate" or "love" the device.

Blania teased the introduction of a new version of the Orb during the first half of this year, one that he characterized as "much more friendly" and possibly similar to "an Apple product."

The Worldcoin project made headlines last year thanks to its unique, and sometimes controversial, strategy to scan people's irises in exchange for cryptocurrency. Tools of Humanity was co-founded by Sam Altman, CEO of the high-profile tech company OpenAI.

Government scrutiny over privacy concerns

Scrutiny of Worldcoin's ambitions have led to some government agencies launching inquiries. Agencies in France, Germany and the UK all moved to investigate whether Worldcoin is at risk of violating data privacy guidelines.

THE SCOOP

Keep up with the latest news, trends, charts and views on crypto and DeFi with a new biweekly newsletter from The Block's Frank Chaparro

By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Worldcoin launched in Singapore at the end of last year. The move followed the project both pausing in India and ending registration services in Brazil and France.

 


Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2023 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

About Author

RT Watson is a senior reporter at The Block who covers a wide array of topics including U.S.-based companies, blockchain gaming and NFTs. Formerly covered entertainment at The Wall Street Journal, where he wrote about Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. and the creator economy while focusing primarily on technological disruption across media. Previous to that he covered corporate, economic and political news in Brazil while at Bloomberg. RT has interviewed a diverse cast of characters including CEOs, media moguls, top influencers, politicians, blue-collar workers, drug traffickers and convicted criminals. Holds a master's degree in Digital Sociology.

Editor

To contact the editor of this story:
Nathan Crooks at
[email protected]