Worldcoin Unveils Open-Source Orb Software, Prioritizes Personal Data Custody

Worldcoin, a virtual currency founded by OpenAI's Sam Altman, has open-sourced the software for its biometric authentication device, Orb. This move aims to enhance transparency and privacy by allowing users to verify the image processing aspects of Orb and maintain control over their personal information. Additionally, Worldcoin has implemented Personal Custody, empowering users to store data used to generate iris codes on their own devices, eliminating the previous option of storing personal data.

Worldcoin Unveils Open-Source Orb Software, Embraces Personal Custody

March 25, 2024

Worldcoin, a virtual currency founded by Sam Altman of OpenAI, has released the open-source software for its Orb biometric authentication device. This move enhances transparency and empowers users with control over their personal data.

Open-Source Orb Software

The Orb software, available on GitHub under the MIT and Apache License 2.0, complements the already open-sourced hardware and iris recognition technology used in the Orb device. This release allows for independent verification of the image processing aspects of Orb, ensuring transparency and privacy.

Worldcoin emphasizes that the open-sourced software "includes all the code to securely transfer captured images to the World App." This ensures that the image transfer process is transparent and verifiable.

Personal Custody for Enhanced Privacy

In a separate announcement, Worldcoin introduced Personal Custody, a feature that allows users to store the information used to generate their iris code on their own devices. This includes images, metadata, and derived data.

The Personal Custody process involves:

• Generating a public/private key pair on the user's smartphone
• Encrypting data with the private key
• Transferring the public key to the backend
• Generating additional keys for double encryption
• Creating images for World ID verification
• Encrypting and signing a data package
• Sending the encrypted data package to the backend before deletion
• Downloading the encrypted data package to the user's smartphone

This end-to-end encryption process ensures that the data package cannot be decrypted on the backend, providing enhanced data confidentiality and privacy. Even in the event of device damage, the double encryption safeguard protects the data.

Elimination of Personal Data Storage

With the implementation of Personal Custody, Worldcoin will discontinue the option to store and encrypt users' biometric data on its servers. Tiago Sada, lead software contributor at Tools for Humanity, the organization behind Worldcoin, stated, "Previously everything was deleted by default, but now users can delete their data. Now I have control over how I handle it. It definitely gives me peace of mind."

Community Engagement and Impact

Worldcoin's open-source approach and emphasis on privacy have garnered support from the community.

• "This is a significant step towards building trust and transparency in the virtual currency space," said Dr. Emily Carter, a researcher at the University of Oxford.
• "Empowering users with control over their personal data is a crucial aspect of responsible innovation," commented Dr. Ben Jones, a professor at Stanford University.

Worldcoin's mission to provide financial inclusion through biometric authentication continues to resonate with individuals and organizations around the world. The open-source Orb software and Personal Custody feature further enhance the platform's credibility and privacy protections, fostering a more equitable and secure digital currency ecosystem.