World Network — previously Worldcoin — is offering anybody willing to pay a $100 deposit the chance to buy and operate one of its controversial eye-scanning orbs — but details behind the financial incentives remain murky.  

Pre-ordering one of the orbs allows you to become a “Community Operator” and gives you the dubious pleasure of being able to register the eyeballs of wannabe World users yourself. However, details of whatever compensation you could expect to receive remain sparse.

Indeed, they’re not even explained in the pre-order page or terms and conditions.

Orb operators have traditionally been hired by Worldcoin and worked as contractors rather than employees. Under this “Operator Agreement,” they were paid on a commission basis that considered the number of eyeballs (signups) they could verify. 

World has confirmed to Protos that buyers of the orbs will be compensated in a similar fashion while under the “Community Operator Agreement.”

However, World Network switched from USDC payments to paying operators with its WLD crypto token last year. Buyers from the US aren’t allowed to use WLD, so it’s unclear how they’ll be paid or whether they’ll be stuck with a token they cannot cash out.

Regardless, World Network will be hoping that it can finally add to the four orbs it currently has active in the US. Countries banned from pre-orders include Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Cuba, Sudan, or the Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson or Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.

Read more: Worldcoin offers $15 off drink for ‘crypto players’ — needs your eyeballs first

How much it’ll cost to take control of one of the orbs will apparently be revealed once “production nears.” The details of the Community Operator Agreement will also be published at this time.

Buyers may also be expected to source their own permits and jurisdiction approval in order to operate the orb.

World’s new tactic may well be a push to recruit new users after its missed its eyeball verification target by a mammoth 994 million.  There are over 7.8 million verifications listed on its site at the time of writing.

Worldcoin was launched in July 2023 but rebranded to World Network last October. The company says it did this because “the name ‘Worldcoin’ no longer encapsulates the mission of the project — to accelerate every human.”

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Sam Altman’s nightmare fuel crypto project Worldcoin is rebranding to World Network, or World for short, less than a year after missing its 2023 sign-up target by a whopping 99.4%.

Altman announced the branding shift on Thursday along with a new version of World’s controversial iris-scanning ‘orb’ device. Powered by the Nvidia Jetson chip, this new generation of biometric boohockey is apparently “five times” more powerful and promises enhanced privacy and security features.

In a blog post, World said that it rebranded because “the name ‘Worldcoin’ no longer encapsulates the mission of the project—to accelerate every human.”

In October 2021, Worldcoin announced that it aimed to onboard one billion users by the end of 2023. However, the project only managed to scrounge up six million pairs of eyeballs, marking a 99.4% miss.

Read more: Worldcoin offers $15 off drink for ‘crypto players’ — needs your eyeballs first

On Thursday, Altman said that number had risen to 15 million — still 98.5% short of its 2023 target.

Worldcoin also unveiled World ID Deep Face, which claims to recognize AI and eliminate the problem of deepfakes.

World Network is currently banned in Spain and Portugal and under review in Argentina and the UK.

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After falling short of its target to onboard one billion people by 2023 using its dystopian eyeball-scanning orbs, Sam Altman’s Worldcoin has turned to a little-known energy drink to grow its user base.

The controversial project, which recently underwent an ‘Apple-style’ makeover to improve its image, has now partnered with Flojo, “the world’s first sparkling beverage formulated and approved by neuroscientists.”

The partnership offers $15 off crates of the peach or mango-flavored concoction for every user who registers with their World ID. “It pays to be a unique human,” Worldcoin says. 

Flojo appears to be trying to make inroads into the crypto market as it’s also partnered with Solana. The drink’s co-founder Christine Wong explained the move, saying that crypto players “don’t have a representative drink yet.”

Flojo co-founder, Singapore-based Paul Tan, is also the founder of crypto seed investment fund DAOvergence, and works in various crypto firms. Messari and Cryptorank both list Tan as a contributor to a $5 million seed round raised by a failed NFT marketplace, DoingGud.

Worldcoin’s drink partner big on marketing mumbo jumbo

The drink is a lot. It claims to be Asia’s first “productivity” drink that enhances mental clarity with “adaptogens” and “nootropics” carefully selected by neuroscientists.

For the layman, adaptogens are apparently natural substances that help regulate your body — but there’s no one definition for it. Nootropics are supposedly substances that improve cognitive function and have been called ‘smart drugs.’

A research paper published by Frontiers of Pharmacology described adaptogens as having “little scientific value.” It said it is “not accepted in clinical and pharmacological terminologies in the European Union and has been considered not appropriate for marketing authorization.” 

Various publishers have also debated the effectiveness of nootropics. One GQ article concluded that you’re probably better off going for a walk. 

Isn’t this about Worldcoin?

Worldcoin claims to have onboarded 6.4 million eyeballs since its creation, ‘just’ 993.6 million World ID verifications away from its 2023 goal.

Read more: How Humanity Protocol CEO drove his previous firm to insolvency

The company has updated its homepage and eyeball scanner counter from 2,000 to 3,480 as a sign of some expansion but says it’s still facing global backlash from international states. 

Adding to Worldoin’s woes, there’s also a new crypto-powered identity system on the block: Humanity Protocol. This new venture more or less strives to achieve what Worldcoin is doing while using palm scanning technology instead. However, its CEO Terence Kwok, doesn’t have the best track record with keeping firms afloat. 

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Worldcoin is 994 million users away from its goal of onboarding one billion people by 2023 and will need to scan an estimated 2,734 people each day to hit this figure by 2026.  

Worldcoin announced yesterday, July 10th, that it has verified 6 million users since its launch in July 2023. However, in October 2021, numerous outlets reported that Worldcoin had aimed to onboard one billion users by the end of 2023. It’s now July 2024.

Semafor reported last April that Worldcoin was suffering an orb shortage and that it has between 300 and 500 orbs in use.

Assuming it has 500 orbs in operation, Worldcoin would have to scan the eyes of 2,740 people per day to reach one billion users in two years. Taking into account the already onboarded 6 million users, 500 orbs would need to scan 2,734 people per day. 

Worldcoin claims it has manufactured 2,000 orbs already. Using this figure, each orb would need to scan roughly 700 people per day in order to hit 1 billion in two years. 

Worldcoin extends grants amid global restrictions

Worldcoin also extended its WLD token grant reservation program yesterday for another year. Users without a verified World ID initially had until July 2024 to reserve tokens that could then be redeemed at a later date.  

Read more: Worldcoin fails to shift ban from Spanish court

Indeed Worldcoin is still unavailable to users in the US, China, India, and the UK. Worldcoin has struggled to onboard users globally as regions began restricting the orbs and opening up investigations. Most of Europe and Hong Kong are probing Worldcoin.

However, in Kenya and South Korea operations have restarted after previous investigations into the orb were dropped. Worldcoin is still available in Germany where the orbs are reportedly manufactured in one factory. 

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Sam Altman’s WorldCoin and its controversial iris-scanning orbs are reportedly set to be kicked out of Hong Kong after being found to violate the city’s privacy laws by a data watchdog. But is the impending regulatory action as bad as it seems?

While the ban from Hong Kong is being celebrated by privacy advocates and Sam Altman distrusters, it may not be a permanent problem for WorldCoin. The reasons for being booted from Hong Kong by the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) include:

• Relevant privacy notice and biometric data consent forms not being available in Chinese
• Insufficient transparency of the personal data policy and practices
• The fact that before the collection of personal data, participants weren’t clearly informed of how the data would be used

These issues all seem like they can be solved relatively simply: By translating instructions and terms of service forms into Mandarin and Cantonese, making policy practices more transparent, and informing any participants exactly how their data will be used.

However, the fact that these solutions are so obvious may point to the real problem for WorldCoin.

Read more: Worldcoin fails to shift ban from Spanish court

Never fixed

The fact that WorldCoin wasn’t already providing terms of service and instructions in Mandarin or Cantonese at its locations in Hong Kong suggests a more sinister reason for getting kicked out of Hong Kong, namely that WorldCoin has — possibly — been purposely providing the least amount of information to users and regulators as possible to take advantage of the biometric data that the public is unaware of.

There are plenty of ways that WorldCoin could work with the Hong Kong PCPD to mitigate risks and provide more transparency so it could offer their iris scanning orbs in Hong Kong again, but will it? It remains to be seen.

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The CEO of Humanity Protocol, a reported $1 billion ‘Worldcoin rival’ that’s raised $30 million, almost bankrupted his $1.5 billion smartphone firm, burning through $170 million in investor funds.

Terence Kwok founded Hong Kong-based Tink Labs in 2012. The Unicorn company raised millions in funding to provide hotels with smartphones for guests to use during their stay. 

His goal was to give guests an alternative to roaming charges, improve their hotel experience, and sell gathered data on customer preferences.

However, the Financial Times (FT) reports that his firm began to operate at a loss of £9.06 million in 2017. This was reportedly due to multiple factors, including his policy of aggressive expansion, roaming charges becoming cheaper and more accessible, and hotels not wanting to pay for the phones he had given out.

Terence Kwok’s Tink Labs liquidated 

According to a former employee, Tink Labs investor SoftBank forced it to abruptly stop a major project over concerns the firm was “funnelling money from the joint venture in Japan to stay afloat in other regions.”

Kwok reportedly struggled to pay employees and contractors and eventually ordered mass layoffs before closing Tink Labs on August 1. Laid-off employees reportedly “smeared cake all over the walls and floor,” as they left the firm’s Oxford offices. 

Tink Labs’ European arm began winding up in January 2020 before undergoing insolvency proceedings. The former head of various Tink Labs human resource operations told FT, “I never thought it would last but I didn’t think it would close so quickly.” She also told the FT that Kwok only cared about “making money.”

Terence Kwok CEO of human palm ID crypto firm

Last year, Kwok launched Humanity Protocol, a blockchain-based identity firm that relies on scanning the palms of people’s hands as a means of identification.

The firm reportedly raised $30 million in funding from Kingsway Capital, Animoca Brands, Blockchain.com, and Shima Capital, and has already reached Unicorn status.

Kwok told Bloomberg that Humanity Protocol will use its own crypto token to pay for verification fees. The funding round reportedly ensures investors’ future tokens through a simple agreement for future tokens (SAFT). 

A test network will reportedly be launched in the second quarter and an infrared camera is being worked on that will allow your phone to scan your veins as an extra layer of security. He claims to have a waitlist of 500,000 people for the project. 

Read more: Worldcoin’s orb revamp hopes to be less Black Mirror, more Apple

Coindesk dubbed Humanity Protocol a ‘Worldcoin rival.’ Indeed, it’s similar to Worldcoin’s ‘proof of personhood’ system. Kwok calls his concept ‘Proof of Humanity,’ and told Bloomberg that unlike Worldcoin or Face ID, “It’s not your face and it’s also not your eyeballs. It’s much less dystopian.”

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Eyeball-scanning crypto project Worldcoin has failed to budge a temporary ban issued by Spain’s High Court last week following concerns over child participation and privacy rights.

Spain’s Data Protection Agency (AEPD) slapped Worldcoin with a temporary three-month ban last Wednesday, prohibiting it from collecting any more personal data or using any data it had already gathered.

Just hours later Worldcoin filed a lawsuit against the ban but on Monday, Reuters reported that the High Court had rejected the request. According to the court, the “safeguarding of the public interest” must prevail, and Worldcoin had made “unsubstantiated assertions.”

Read more: South Korea vows to ‘take action’ if Worldcoin violations are confirmed

Worldcoin claimed that the AEPD was “spreading inaccurate and misleading claims about our technology globally,” and “circumventing established procedures under GDPR.”

“In accordance with the EU regulations pertaining to GDPR enforcement, Worldcoin contributors have regularly responded to BayLDA requests for months while operating lawfully in Spain and select other countries in Europe,” Worldcoin said in response to the ban.

Worldcoin is attracting complaints globally 

Worldcoin is owned by Tools for Humanity and run by OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman. Its goal is to scan the iris of as many people as possible to create a digital ID database. In its venture, the project also offers free crypto in exchange scanning your iris and promises to be able to distinguish humans from AI.

The AEPD said it had received multiple complaints “denouncing insufficient information, collection of data from minors, and preventing the withdrawal of consent, among other infringements,” from Worldcoin.

Indeed, Worldcoin has received a mixed response across the globe with concerns often centered on privacy issues. South Korea launched an investigation last week following complaints about its methods of data collection, and Worldcoin has prompted inquiries from the UK, France, Germany, and Kenya.

In an email, Worldcoin told Protos: “Worldcoin is fully compliant with all laws and regulations governing biometric data collection and data transfer, including Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

“Since our previous attempts to engage AEPD went unanswered, we look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate this compliance and provide the regulator with accurate and important information regarding this essential and lawful technology in the Spanish High Court.”

Despite these concerns, Worldcoin’s WLD token has risen more than 280% in the past month and currently sits at just under $10.

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Edit 18:40 UTC, Mar 12: Updated piece to include comment from Worldcoin.

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South Korean authorities are set to probe Sam Altman’s Worldcoin following complaints about the unorthodox methods the iris-scanning firm uses to collect its data.

According to South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission, its investigation, which began on February 29, will establish if Worldcoin has breached the Personal Information Protection Act. The authority said “if violations are confirmed,” it will “take action in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.”

The press release, translated via Google, said the South Korea Worldcoin investigation will look into “the overall collection and processing of sensitive information and overseas transfer of personal information.” It also noted that Worldcoin and ‘affiliates’ are reportedly collecting facial and iris data in 10 locations across South Korea. 

Read more: Worldcoin can damage economy and amplify fraud, Kenya MPs hear

Last year, Kenya launched its own probe into Worldcoin, voicing concerns that the company could impact the country’s monetary policy, cybersecurity, and increase fraud and scams. The UK, France, and Germany also probed Worldcoin last year.

Worldcoin tried to shake off its dystopian image when it announced plans to redesign its iris-scanning orb to look “much more friendly,” and similar to “an Apple product.”

The price of Worldcoin’s WLD token, however, hasn’t been negatively impacted. Indeed, it’s risen roughly 218% since February, jumping from $2.20 to $7 today. 

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Worldcoin is reportedly temporarily pausing its eye-scanning operations across India, France, and Brazil, ceasing the use of real-world physical orbs to collect retina data in exchange for crypto, TechCrunch reports. 

Tools for Humanity, Worldcoin’s parent company, reportedly told TechCrunch that its real-world scanning operations were a “limited-time” event across certain markets this year. 

According to unnamed sources speaking to Money Control, Worldcoin temporarily stopped its offline biometric orb operation in India between three and four months ago due to overcrowding at certain sites. 

An anonymous mall management executive reportedly said, “There used to be so much crowding that sometimes police had to come to intervene and control the crowd. At one point, police even had to seize the orbs.” 

Reportedly, the orbs couldn’t handle a spike in demand, and operations were “scaled back” so that a “safe and orderly process” could be established.

Worldcoin wants to continue expansion

Worldcoin operations began in July this year, just after its global tour which kicked off in Tokyo three months earlier. The Sam Altman co-founded project has raised $250 million from backers. 

According to TechCrunch, Tools for Humanity reportedly rolled out the orb verification service in India before the global tour began and has plans to continue expanding its India operations until October 2023. 

Read more: US blocked Worldcoin CEO’s arrest, Kenyan MP says

A Worldcoin spokesperson told TechCrunch that it remains committed to “working with partners globally to ensure it meets regulatory requirements and provides a safe, secure, and transparent service for verified humans.”

Protos has reached out to Tools for Humanity for comment and will update this piece if we hear anything back.

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Edit 12:28 UTC, Dec 22: Updated article to specify that the measures taken by Worldcoin are temporary, and removed reference to Worldcoin failing to reply to Money Control.

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Sam Altman, the co-founder and former CEO of OpenAI, was fired by the board in a surprise move on Friday. Over the weekend, attempts to oust the board and reinstate himself were dashed — leaving Microsoft in a unique position to snatch up his tech talent.

On Friday, it was announced that Altman had apparently lost the confidence of OpenAI’s board for “not consistently candid” communications. Without warning, it fired the 38-year-old and appointed interim CEO Mira Murati.

“We are grateful for Sam’s many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI. At the same time, we believe new leadership is necessary as we move forward,” the OpenAI announcement read.

Following the news, Altman described the turn of events as “sorta like reading your own eulogy while you’re still alive.”

According to multiple anonymous sources, the board and Altman disagreed on AI safety, the speed at which to rollout new tech, and the commercialization of the company. However, OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap dismissed the rumors.

“We can say definitively that the board’s decision was not made in response to malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices. This was a breakdown in communication between Sam and the board,” Lightcap said in a staff memo.

OpenAI board withstands mass pushback to firing Sam Altman

The board’s coup was apparently led by co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever. But threats of a mass employee walkout and pressure from investors forced him and the board to reconsider their decision — along with immediate resignations by senior researchers and co-founder and president Greg Brockman.

Over the weekend, Altman was spotted visiting OpenAI’s offices to negotiate the terms of his return. He and Brockman demanded that all board members hand in their resignations and reinstate the co-founders.

The all-or-nothing proposition came with time to mull it over. But a Saturday 5pm deadline was missed; then another on Sunday.

By Sunday evening, the OpenAI board told employees they were here to stay — and Altman wasn’t coming back. As first reported by The Information, board members told staff a change-up in management was a necessary evil; the “only path” to “broadly beneficial” artificial general intelligence.

Read more: Alleged Worldcoin whistleblower steps forward, says they’re aiding authorities

What’s more, interim CEO Mira Murati would be immediately replaced with Twitch co-founder and former CEO Emmett Shear. “Today I got a call inviting me to consider a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to become the interim CEO of OpenAI,” Shear posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“After consulting with my family and reflecting on it for just a few hours, I accepted.”

The former Twitch CEO also added that the board’s decision to cut Altman wasn’t about safety disagreements. “Their reasoning was completely different from that,” he said. “I’m not crazy enough to take this job without board support for commercialising our awesome models.”

Microsoft smells blood in water, pounces

Meanwhile, OpenAI’s major investor Microsoft has made the most of the situation. CEO Satya Nadella announced late Sunday night that Altman, Brockman, and other prominent OpenAI members were joining Microsoft to form a new advanced AI research team.

“The mission continues,” Altman responded on X, confirming the news.

Other talent Microsoft managed to poach include Jakub Pachoki, former director of research, OpenAI’s former research scientist Szymon Sidor, and its former head of preparedness Aleksander Madry.

Read more: Opinion: Americans shouldn’t offer their eyeballs to WorldCoin

In his announcement post, Nadella added that Microsoft was still “committed” to its work with OpenAI. The tech giant is rumoured to have invested $10 billion into the startup, and together the firms are developing the Maia AI chip. Similarly, OpenAI’s new CEO Shear said that its partnership with Microsoft “remained strong.”

It’s rumoured, however, that the board’s decision to cut Altman was in part due to his recent work on a project called ‘Tigris.’ According to Bloomberg, the custom AI Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chip would rival Nvidia and had already attracted considerable interest from VCs in the Middle East along with Microsoft.

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