Crypto unicorn Worldcoin has launched a waitlist for its "World ID" software development kit (SDK), which will allow websites to verify the uniqueness and humanity of their users without storing their personal information.
According to a March 14 announcement on Worldcoin’s website, the company has also launched World ID software, allowing end users to obtain their “World ID” instantly. Worldcoin was co-founded by Sam Altman, who is also a co-founder of OpenAI. According to the announcement, World ID is a "global digital passport" that each user can store locally on their phone. This ID will allow users to prove that they are not a robot without giving out their phone number or other identifying information to the website they log into.
The ID is attached to an encrypted "proof of personality" that uses zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs to mask the user's personally identifiable data. That means it allows users to verify their identity without revealing the personal information used to do so, it said.
Users can obtain a World ID immediately without waiting for websites to implement the new standard. "Phone verification is available to users and developers in most countries starting today," iris verification is available in "Argentina, Chile, India, Kenya, Portugal, and Spain, and [through] a presentation at the Blockchain and Identity conference used in,” the company said.
Worldcoin has also launched a waitlist for the protocol's software development kit (SDK). When it becomes available, the SDK will allow developers to integrate with the World ID system to filter out bots from their applications.
A spokesperson for Worldcoin told Cointelegraph that the company hopes its protocol will help provide identification to millions of people around the world, even in regions where access to traditional forms of identification is difficult, saying: "Artificial intelligence is bringing new opportunities across all industries, and World ID aims to bring global proof of personhood to the Internet."
The spokesperson pointed out that more than 50% of the world's population lacks verifiable legal identification, and Worldcoin is trying to solve this problem through a privacy-first decentralized approach.
“The World ID SDK beta makes web, mobile and on-chain integration fast and easy, and we’re excited to see developers from every corner of the world building on this powerful new primitive,” the spokesperson added. Launching in October 2021, Worldcoin offers cryptocurrency giveaways in exchange for iris scans. According to Worldcoin, the numbers produced by these scans can be linked to the user's identity, but no scanned images are stored.
