世界币生物特征数据的问题

世界币（截至 2024 年 10 月下旬，现在简称为“世界”）的承诺在全球范围内遭到了强烈反对，因其未能保护用户隐私而遭到诉讼和罚款。

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.

世界币，现在被称为“世界”，由于未能保护用户隐私而面临巨大的批评和法律挑战。该项目由 OpenAI 的 Sam Altman 创立，最初因其独特的产品而引起关注：用户可以通过虹膜和面部扫描来验证自己的人性，作为回报接收数字 ID 和免费代币。然而，这项创新后来暴露了一个深刻的缺陷——对敏感生物识别数据的危险处理。

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.

随着世界各国政府以违反隐私法为由严厉打击该项目，人们对世界币设计和运营的关注暴露了令人震惊的弱点。这个问题的核心是一场隐私和安全赌博，除非得到解决，否则可能会破坏区块链在现实世界用例中的采用。世界币对科技和加密社区来说是一个警示故事，警告在不首先建立足够的隐私保护措施的情况下构建尖端技术的风险。

The Trouble with Worldcoin’s Biometric Data

世界币生物特征数据的问题

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?

世界币的根本问题在于它如何处理生物识别数据。通过使用以太坊之上的许可区块链系统，世界币创建了一个封闭的网络，只有受信任的内部人员才能操作节点并验证交易。该模型虽然旨在维护隐私，但提出了一个问题：如果区块链的关键基础设施由一组选定的内部人员控制，那么区块链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.

该系统使世界币容易受到外部攻击和黑客攻击。当生物识别扫描等关键数据存储在没有适当透明度或公共监督的“黑匣子”中时，区块链技术所承诺的隐私就会受到损害。在这些围墙花园中存储生物识别数据——不受公众监督——完全违背了权力下放的基本理想。

The Role of Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZK)

零知识证明（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.

为了解决隐私问题，世界币集成了零知识（ZK）证明的使用，这是一种加密技术，允许在不泄露其内容的情况下验证数据。 ZK 证明经常被吹捧为安全生物识别数据存储的未来，但它们也有其局限性。尽管它们有助于在不泄露数据的情况下验证数据是否正确，但 ZK 证明本身并不能消除核心问题：需要可信实体来处理和存储生物识别数据。收集和存储过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.

为了回应公众的强烈反对，世界币承诺一旦模型训练完毕就会删除不必要的数据，这突显了 ZK 证明并未在完全受保护的闭环环境中实施的事实。缺乏强大的隐私基础设施只会让用户面临更大的风险。

The Growing Privacy Challenge in On-Chain Identity Systems

链上身份系统中日益严峻的隐私挑战

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 等替代项目的兴起凸显了链上身份验证的不断发展但不完善的解决方案。 Fractal 为了解你的客户 (KYC) 目的提供去中心化身份 (DID) 系统，最近成为重大安全漏洞的受害者。黑客从 300,000 名用户窃取了 10GB 数据，其中包括银行对账单和身份证明等高度敏感的个人文档。

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.

尽管去中心化身份系统具有透明度（如 Fractal 所示），但如此严重的违规行为凸显了进一步保护隐私的必要性。仅靠加密，尤其是依赖 ZK 证明等单一技术时，无法完全解决这些问题。

Building Secure Biometric Identity Solutions: The ZK-FHE Solution

构建安全的生物识别身份解决方案：ZK-FHE 解决方案

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.

基于区块链的生物识别系统中隐私的未来在于将 ZK 证明与完全同态加密 (FHE) 相结合的多方面方法。 FHE 允许在不解密的情况下对加密数据执行计算，这意味着即使在处理过程中敏感信息仍然受到保护。

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.

与 ZK 证明结合使用时，FHE 可以通过确保生物识别数据在从收集到验证的整个生命周期中保持安全来增强隐私。通过这两种技术的协同工作，生物识别系统可以提供安全的身份验证，同时确保用户对其个人数据保持完全控制。

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.

我们已经看到在实际应用中部署 ZK-FHE 的早期成功案例，例如印度的土地登记和非政府组织记录保存系统。这些用例表明，如果部署正确，该隐私堆栈可以扩展以满足区块链应用程序的需求。

A Call for Stronger Privacy Standards

呼吁加强隐私标准

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.

世界币的失败应该给加密行业敲响警钟。当我们继续探索链上身份和生物识别验证的潜力时，我们必须通过 ZK-FHE 等模块化、安全的加密技术优先考虑用户隐私。目前对公众信心的关注还不够。只有当我们确保用户的数据始终处于加密、保护和控制之下时，真正的隐私保证才能实现。

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.

生物识别数据太有价值，也太脆弱，不能在中心化实体手中不受保护。我们需要积极主动地采用更好的技术和实践，否则下一个类似世界币的丑闻将指日可待。