Sam Altman’s Eye-Scanning Worldcoin (WLD) Launches in US

The controversial crypto project Worldcoin (WLD) has launched its biometric identity verification system and WLD cryptocurrency in the United States, expanding to six major cities.

In a new blog post, Worldcoin says Americans can use their eye scanners to verify their IDs in Atlanta, Nashville, Miami, Los Angeles, Austin and San Francisco.

The project, backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, uses eye-scanning Orb devices to generate unique digital IDs. Once verified, users receive WLD tokens and a World ID, which can be used for authentication on platforms such as Minecraft, Reddit and Telegram.

The expansion follows scrutiny in several countries, including Spain and Portugal, which have suspended World operations over concerns about biometric data collection and security.

Last year, regulators in Spain ordered the project to stop collecting data after receiving numerous complaints from customers that its data-gathering process was invasive.

Despite regulatory challenges, World has secured partnerships, including a Visa-backed debit card for WLD spending and a trial with Match Group for identity verification on dating apps.

Yesterday, before Worldcoin’s announcement, Coinbase said it was adding WLD to its roadmap.

Following the launch, WLD prices briefly surged but later dropped, trading at just over $1 – a significant decline from its all-time high in March 2024. WLD is worth $1.08 at time of writing, up 20% in the last week.

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