Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin is concerned about Worldcoin’s launch and design flaws -TGN

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Butrein published a blogging raising concerns about the recently launched Worldcoin human identity verification system.

While exploring Sam Altman’s project Worldcoin and its operational mechanics, Buterin delved into the broader concepts, including the proof-of-humanity approach.

Worldcoin, alongside other identity solutions such as Proof of Humanity, BrightID, Idenam and Circles, believes that the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) will gradually blur the lines between human and machine, posing significant differentiation issues.

Worldcoin provides its users with a unique “digital passport” that allows them to prove that they are human and not a bot.

This huge catalog is achieved through the use of Orbs, machines that scan a person’s eyeball to create a World ID.

Buterin addresses major Worldcoin concerns

While he agreed that this proof-of-personality system offered by Worldcoin is valuable for solving “anti-spam and anti-concentration of power problems,” he also added that it also carries great risks. Buterini wrote:

However, Buterin also pointed out that if a system like Worldcoin continues to decentralize as promised, it will “avoid reliance on centralized authorities and reveal the minimum information possible.”

The Ethereum co-founder’s first concern had to do with privacy — and scanning someone’s iris.

Buterin feared this could capture much more data than meets the eye, including a person’s gender, ethnicity, and even certain medical conditions.

Buterin questions the accessibility of WorldCoin

Buterin also expressed concerns about accessibility and centralization within the Worldcoin Foundation and security.

As the year progressed, according to Worldcoin’s latest figures, they had made 1,500 Orbs accessible in 35 global cities, leading to a significant increase in total weekly registrations from 40,000 to 200,000 individuals.

In total, Worldcoin estimated that two million people had already signed up for a World ID.

However, Buterin expressed skepticism, saying, “Even with much more widely distributed production, it would be difficult to move to a world where there’s an Orb within three miles of everyone.”

In his closing remarks, Buterin emphasized his belief that a world without evidence of personality carries its own risks and potential dangers.

He recognized that building a resilient system would be neither easy nor fast.