- Worldcoin has stopped its services in India, Brazil, and France, citing “limited time access” for the Orb expansion, as further regulatory challenges emerge
- The project has been marred by controversy since May, with several issues arising
- A Tools for Humanity spokesperson said that the operations had been “temporarily scaled back” in India and other countries
Worldcoin has halted its offerings in India, Brazil, and France a few months after launching the service. Tools for Humanity, the foundation overseeing Worldcoin’s development, stated that the Orb’s expansion to these markets was for “limited time access,” while a spokesperson for Tools for Humanity emphasized Worldcoin’s commitment to working with global partners to meet regulatory requirements for a secure and transparent service. The project has experienced regulatory difficulties in several countries since launching in May and it seems its issues are catching up with the controversial project.
Orb Services “Temporarily Scaled Back”
Worldcoin’s Orb, a five-pound chromatic sphere, scans individuals’ eyeballs to verify their identity and is similar to India’s Aadhaar system, which uses biometric data for identity verification. The Orb was initially well received in India as the startup set up pop-up kiosks for onboarding new users, but Worldcoin’s spokesperson told Techcrunch that Orb-verified services had been “temporarily scaled back” in India and other countries.
The project has faced issues in Kenya, where a Worldcoin warehouse was raided in August, while authorities in Argentina also investigated Tools for Humanity over its data storage.
Worldcoin Keeps on Trucking
Worldcoin, co-founded by Sam Altman, initiated the global rollout of its services in July to create a reliable solution for distinguishing humans from AI online. The startup raised approximately $250 million, with notable backers like Andreessen Horowitz and Khosla Ventures. The company aimed to build a solution for global democratic processes and increase economic opportunities. The World App, the startup’s protocol-compatible wallet software, is still available for onboarding users in India despite the pause in Orb-verified services.
Despite the temporary halt in Orb services, World App continues its onboarding efforts, and the company recently updated its protocol to World ID 2.0. This update aims to differentiate between bots and verified humans, and Worldcoin announced new integrations with platforms like Minecraft, Reddit, Telegram, Shopify, and Mercado Libre.
