World - the blockchain project previously known as Worldcoin - announced on Friday that it has attracted over 10 million users worldwide.
Launched in 2023 and backed by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, World uses small electronic orbs to scan retinas and verify human identity. Participants who scan and register will receive WLD tokens. World is building the project on the idea that in the context of a society increasingly dependent on AI-controlled digital agents, a system to distinguish between humans and AI will become essential.
"With the relentless advancement of AI, the ability to prove human identity online is becoming increasingly important," World shared in a recent blog post.
In addition to verifying over 10 million people, the project also recorded over 20 million downloads of the World App, according to information from the same post.
One of World's biggest achievements last year was expanding operations in Brazil - a country with over 215 million people and a fairly positive attitude towards cryptocurrencies.
However, World has faced considerable controversy from data privacy advocates and regulators, particularly in Europe.
Last month, the data protection authority in the German state of Bavaria demanded that World delete the biometric data collected through its retina scanning process. World responded quickly, stating that their process has been changed and the authority's findings "largely relate to outdated activities and technology that were replaced in 2024."
Over the past year, the project has worked to comply with legal regulations in multiple countries, with the ambition of expanding its reach. To date, Worldcoin has a presence in over 160 countries, creating a global network and affirming the importance of identity verification in the digital age.
