Worldcoin will allow users to store biometric data on their devices

What’s new? Worldcoin’s developers have launched a Personal Custody initiative in which they refuse the storage and encryption of biometric data that users must provide to access the system. Instead, the data will be stored on users’ personal devices and they will be able to manage and delete it themselves if they wish.

Material by The Block

What else is known? Tools for Humanity, the company that developed Worldcoin, says it has always taken privacy seriously, but sees self-storage as an opportunity to increase the level of trust of potential users. “Even though everything was deleted by default before, definitely now the fact that users have control over what to do with their data, definitely does give you that peace of mind, not needing to trust anyone,” the company said.

Worldcoin uses Orb devices to identify users through retina scans, which are unique to each person, like fingerprints. After passing the scan, users are assigned a kind of digital passport using the World ID protocol and given 25 native tokens WLD for free.

Prior to the introduction of the Personal Custody model, users had two options: they could immediately delete the biometric data after being scanned, or allow Worldcoin to store it in encrypted form. Now, the second option will no longer be offered to new users. Information such as images and metadata generated in Orb and used to generate the retina code during World ID verification will be transferred to users’ personal devices for storage.

Worldcoin has also opened up the software code of Orb devices to increase transparency. Earlier, the team published the result of a third-party audit of Orb software from Trail of Bits, which did not reveal any vulnerabilities in the devices.

In addition, the Worldcoin team published an FAQ about the project, stating that it operates legally in all available jurisdictions and does not sell biometric and other personal data of users.

Worldcoin developers reveal hardware details of Orb devices

Thus, the company intends to achieve full decentralization of the project

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At the same time, regulators in many countries around the world have been interested in the project’s activities almost since its launch in July last year due to the risks to citizens’ confidential data. For example, Hong Kong and Korea began to investigate Worldcoin’s activities, and the Spanish regulator ordered the project to stop collecting data in the country.

In December, Worldcoin stopped offering verification services in India, France, and Brazil, and the Parliament of Kenya in October recommended stopping Worldcoin operation in the country.

According to the project’s website, about 4,5 million people have registered for Worldcoin since its launch. The native token WLD at the time of writing occupies the 89th line of the ranking of cryptocurrencies by market capitalization with a figure of over $1,2 billion and is trading at $7,78, having lost 5,6% over the day and 18,2% over the week. At the same time, the growth since the beginning of the year amounted to 113%.