Worldcoin Implements Personal Custody Feature for Enhanced User Data Control
In Brief
Worldcoin incorporated a Personal Custody feature, to ensure that user data maintains within the user’s device.
Encryption project, co-founded by OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman, Worldcoin (WLD), announced that it incorporated a Personal Custody feature, which was initially introduced when World ID 2.0 was launched.
Personal Custody entails storing information, such as images, metadata, and derived data generated by the Orb device, and used for generating the iris code during World ID verification on the user’s device. This method empowers users with control over their data handling, including deletion and any future use before deletion. Previously, this information was automatically deleted.
In addition to offering users control, Personal Custody introduces new applications for World ID by facilitating facial authentication for high-security purposes. Through facial authentication, users can confirm their identity as the individual who received their World ID during authentication with Orb. Importantly, this process operates locally on the user’s device, ensuring that the user’s data remains on the phone without being transmitted elsewhere.
Personal Custody comprises four components: the user device, the Orb, a data package containing images, and a temporary backend storage for transit.
The process entails the user’s phone generating a public-private key pair to encrypt their data, with the public key sent to the backend, which then creates extra keys for data needing double encryption, transmitting this public key to the Orb.
During verification, the Orb produces necessary images for World ID authentication, generates encrypted user personal data packages, signs them, and sends images to the backend before they are deleted, with the user’s encrypted data subsequently downloaded to their phone before backend deletion.
Worldcoin Faces Regulatory Scrutiny Globally Over Privacy and Security Concerns
Founded in 2023 by Tools of Humanity, a company co-founded and chaired by Sam Altman, Worldcoin positions itself as a “privacy-preserving” digital identity verification initiative. Worldcoin’s primary objective is to facilitate a global Universal Basic Income project by distributing a small amount of its native token, WLD, to individuals globally in return for identity verification.
Following its launch, the project attracted attention from regulators and privacy advocates in Kenya, Britain, and Germany, among other countries, due to concerns regarding transparency in the organization’s data collection methods as the aggregation of data from millions of individuals by a single company is seen as a potential threat to data privacy.
Recently, Kenya’s Minister of Interior and National Administration, Kithure Kindiki, informed parliament that the government will not lift the suspension on Worldcoin activity initiated in August 2023 until the security and integrity of financial transactions are ensured. The minister highlighted the Kenyan government’s specific concerns regarding the project’s collection of identity information, such as iris scans, in exchange for digital identity certificates. The country is facing pressure from the United States government to lift the suspension of Worldcoin activities.
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About The Author
Alisa, a dedicated journalist at the MPost, specializes in cryptocurrency, zero-knowledge proofs, investments, and the expansive realm of Web3. With a keen eye for emerging trends and technologies, she delivers comprehensive coverage to inform and engage readers in the ever-evolving landscape of digital finance.
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Alisa, a dedicated journalist at the MPost, specializes in cryptocurrency, zero-knowledge proofs, investments, and the expansive realm of Web3. With a keen eye for emerging trends and technologies, she delivers comprehensive coverage to inform and engage readers in the ever-evolving landscape of digital finance.
