New privacy initiative and open-source release by Worldcoin

The Worldcoin Foundation has taken a major step toward transparency and user control over their data with the announcement of making public the software components for their iris-scanning Orbs.

In a recent blog post, the company revealed that Orb’s core software is now available on GitHub under a dual MIT/Apache 2.0 license, a move aimed at increasing openness around the technology.

Marking significant progress

The open source code is intended to complement the hardware that was previously released and includes essential functions for capturing images and transferring them securely to the product’s application. This marks “significant progress” in Worldcoin’s efforts to make Orb’s image processing processes transparent and its privacy claims verifiable.

At the same time, Worldcoin introduced a new privacy feature, ‘Personal Custody’, which gives users more control over their personal data. This feature allows individuals to self-manage their data through a data packet signed with their Orb’s private key and encrypted with a user-provided public key. This ensures that only the user has access to his or her biometric information, significantly increasing privacy and security.

Increasing criticism

The developments come at a time when Worldcoin is under increasing criticism from global regulators over privacy issues. Despite a request from the US government, the Kenyan government recently decided to ban Worldcoin’s operations in the country until further information on its security and financial integrity is provided. This decision follows previous setbacks in March, including an order from the Spanish Data Protection Agency to cease local data collection and processing.

However, Worldcoin, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, emphasizes that it “operates legally in all locations where it is available” and complies with all relevant laws and regulations. The recent open-source release and the introduction of ‘Personal Custody’ appear to be steps towards addressing privacy concerns and strengthening the trust of users and regulators worldwide.