世界幣生物特徵資料的問題

世界幣（截至 2024 年 10 月下旬，現在簡稱為「世界」）的承諾在全球範圍內遭到了強烈反對，因其未能保護用戶隱私而遭到訴訟和罰款。

Worldcoin, now known as "World," has faced immense criticism and legal challenges due to its failure to protect user privacy. The project, founded by Sam Altman of OpenAI, initially garnered attention for its unique offering: users could verify their humanity through iris and face scans, receiving digital IDs and free tokens in return. However, this innovation has since revealed a deep flaw—its dangerous handling of sensitive biometric data.

世界幣，現在被稱為“世界”，由於未能保護用戶隱私而面臨巨大的批評和法律挑戰。該專案由 OpenAI 的 Sam Altman 創立，最初因其獨特的產品而引起關注：用戶可以透過虹膜和臉部掃描來驗證自己的人性，作為回報接收數位 ID 和免費代幣。然而，這項創新後來暴露了一個深刻的缺陷——對敏感生物辨識數據的危險處理。

As governments worldwide clamp down on the project for violating privacy laws, the spotlight on Worldcoin’s design and operations exposes alarming weaknesses. The very core of the issue is a privacy and security gamble that, unless addressed, threatens to undermine blockchain adoption in real-world use cases. Worldcoin serves as a cautionary tale for the tech and crypto communities, warning of the risks of building cutting-edge tech without building adequate privacy safeguards first.

隨著世界各國政府以違反隱私法為由嚴厲打擊該項目，人們對世界幣設計和營運的關注暴露了令人震驚的弱點。這個問題的核心是隱私和安全賭博，除非得到解決，否則可能會破壞區塊鏈在現實世界用例中的採用。世界幣對科技和加密社群來說是一個警示故事，警告在不先建立足夠的隱私保護措施的情況下建構尖端技術的風險。

The Trouble with Worldcoin’s Biometric Data

世界幣生物特徵資料的問題

Worldcoin’s fundamental issue lies in how it handles biometric data. By using a permissioned blockchain system on top of Ethereum, Worldcoin has created a closed network where only trusted insiders can operate the nodes and verify transactions. This model, while intended to maintain privacy, raises the question: How can a blockchain remain truly decentralized if its critical infrastructure is controlled by a select group of insiders?

世界幣的根本問題在於它如何處理生物辨識數據。透過使用以太坊之上的許可區塊鏈系統，世界幣創建了一個封閉的網絡，只有受信任的內部人員才能操作節點並驗證交易。雖然該模型旨在維護隱私，但提出了一個問題：如果區塊鏈的關鍵基礎設施由一組選定的內部人員控制，那麼區塊鏈如何保持真正的去中心化？

This system leaves Worldcoin vulnerable to external attacks and hacks. The privacy promised by blockchain tech is compromised when critical data, such as biometric scans, is stored in a “black box” without proper transparency or public oversight. Storing biometric data in these walled gardens—free from public scrutiny—is entirely contrary to the foundational ideals of decentralization.

該系統使世界幣容易受到外部攻擊和駭客攻擊。當生物辨識掃描等關鍵數據儲存在沒有適當透明度或公共監督的「黑盒子」中時，區塊鏈技術所承諾的隱私就會受到損害。在這些圍牆花園中儲存生物辨識資料——不受公眾監督——完全違背了權力下放的基本理想。

The Role of Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZK)

零知識證明（ZK）的作用

In an attempt to address its privacy issues, Worldcoin has integrated the use of Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proofs, a cryptographic technology that allows data to be validated without revealing its content. ZK proofs are often touted as the future of secure biometric data storage, but they too have their limitations. Although they help validate that data is correct without revealing it, ZK-proof alone does not eliminate the core issue: the need for a trusted entity to handle and store biometric data. The collection and storage process still present a significant vulnerability.

為了解決隱私問題，世界幣整合了零知識（ZK）證明的使用，這是一種加密技術，允許在不洩露其內容的情況下驗證資料。 ZK 證明經常被吹捧為安全生物識別資料儲存的未來，但它們也有其局限性。儘管它們有助於在不洩露資料的情況下驗證資料是否正確，但 ZK 證明本身並不能消除核心問題：需要可信任實體來處理和儲存生物辨識資料。收集和儲存過程仍然存在重大漏洞。

Worldcoin’s promise to delete unnecessary data once its models were trained, in response to public backlash, highlights the fact that ZK-proofs were not implemented in a fully protected, closed-loop environment. This lack of a robust privacy infrastructure only exposes users to even greater risks.

為了回應公眾的強烈反對，世界幣承諾一旦其模型經過訓練就會刪除不必要的數據，這突顯了 ZK 證明並未在完全受保護的閉環環境中實施的事實。缺乏強大的隱私基礎設施只會讓使用者面臨更大的風險。

The Growing Privacy Challenge in On-Chain Identity Systems

鏈上身分系統中日益嚴峻的隱私挑戰

The rise of alternative projects like Fractal ID highlights an evolving but imperfect solution for on-chain identity verification. Fractal, which offers a decentralized identity (DID) system for Know Your Customer (KYC) purposes, recently fell victim to a major security breach. Hackers stole 10GB of data from 300,000 users, including highly sensitive personal documents such as bank statements and proof of identity.

Fractal ID 等替代項目的興起凸顯了鏈上身份驗證的不斷發展但不完善的解決方案。 Fractal 為了解你的客戶 (KYC) 目的提供去中心化身分 (DID) 系統，最近成為重大安全漏洞的受害者。駭客從 30 萬名用戶竊取了 10GB 數據，其中包括銀行對帳單和身分證明等高度敏感的個人文件。

Despite the transparency of decentralized identity systems, as seen with Fractal, breaches of this magnitude underscore the need for further privacy protections. Encryption alone, especially when relying on singular technologies like ZK-proofs, cannot fully address these concerns.

儘管去中心化身分識別系統具有透明度（如 Fractal 所示），但如此嚴重的違規行為凸顯了進一步保護隱私的必要性。僅靠加密，尤其是依賴 ZK 證明等單一技術時，無法完全解決這些問題。

Building Secure Biometric Identity Solutions: The ZK-FHE Solution

建構安全的生物辨識身分解決方案：ZK-FHE 解決方案

The future of privacy in blockchain-based biometric systems lies in a multi-faceted approach combining ZK-proofs with Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE). FHE allows computations to be performed on encrypted data without decrypting it, meaning sensitive information remains protected even during processing.

基於區塊鏈的生物識別系統中隱私的未來在於將 ZK 證明與完全同態加密 (FHE) 結合的多方面方法。 FHE 允許在不解密的情況下對加密資料執行計算，這意味著即使在處理過程中敏感資訊仍然受到保護。

When combined with ZK-proofs, FHE can enhance privacy by ensuring that biometric data remains safe throughout its lifecycle—from collection to verification. With both technologies working in tandem, biometric systems can provide secure identity verification while ensuring users retain full control over their personal data.

與 ZK 證明結合使用時，FHE 可以透過確保生物辨識資料在其整個生命週期（從收集到驗證）保持安全來增強隱私。透過這兩種技術的協同工作，生物辨識系統可以提供安全的身份驗證，同時確保使用者對其個人資料保持完全控制。

Already, we are seeing early success stories in the deployment of ZK-FHE in practical applications, such as land registries in India and NGO record-keeping systems. These use cases demonstrate that, when deployed correctly, this privacy stack can scale to meet the demands of blockchain applications.

我們已經看到在實際應用中部署 ZK-FHE 的早期成功案例，例如印度的土地登記和非政府組織記錄保存系統。這些用例表明，如果部署正確，該隱私堆疊可以擴展以滿足區塊鏈應用程式的需求。

A Call for Stronger Privacy Standards

呼籲加強隱私標準

Worldcoin’s failures should serve as a wake-up call to the crypto industry. As we continue to explore the potential of on-chain identities and biometric verification, we must prioritize user privacy through modular, secure encryption technologies like ZK-FHE. The current focus on public confidence is inadequate. True privacy assurances will come only when we ensure that users’ data remains encrypted, protected, and under their control at all times.

世界幣的失敗應該會給加密產業敲響警鐘。當我們繼續探索鏈上身分和生物辨識驗證的潛力時，我們必須透過 ZK-FHE 等模組化、安全的加密技術優先考慮使用者隱私。目前對公眾信心的關注還不夠。只有當我們確保用戶的資料始終處於加密、保護和控制之下時，真正的隱私保證才會實現。

Biometric data is too valuable—and too vulnerable—to be left unprotected in the hands of centralized entities. We need to be proactive in adopting better technologies and practices, or else the next Worldcoin-like scandal will be just around the corner.

生物辨識資料太有價值，也太脆弱，無法在中心化實體手中不受保護。我們需要積極主動地採用更好的技術和實踐，否則下一個類似世界幣的醜聞將指日可待。