Table of Contents 64q43
In the last few days, several videos on TikTok e Reels do Instagram started going viral for a rather curious reason: the creators are showing how to make money by selling irises. That's right: a company called World has been operating in Brazil for two months buying images of people's eye irises. Understand where it came from and why it has been doing this. 5pd6r
The viral on TikTok 733s5b
While this article was in development a video posted by glaubherm on TikTok, in which the says that he agreed to sell the iris had already sured more than 2 million views in about three days. Many people in the comments of the post are asking how this was done and how to make money easily. Watch:
No Instagram, videos telling the experience are also becoming popular and the question that remains in the minds of the most attentive is: where does our data go?
No X/Twitter, The same thing happens: some people and want to know more about buying irises, while others wonder why and especially why a company is investing so much in buying an identity that is so important to people.
History of World 66684t
A World was launched at the end of 2023 and, in the meantime, it has even changed its name, as it was previously called Worldcoin. The idea is financed and currently run by Alex Blania e Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, but currently istered by Tools for Humanity, an institution that defines itself as “a network that develops a digital identity based on iris scanning, capable of distinguishing humans from robots”.
The company began operating in Brazil in mid-2023, but has only carried out a few tests. At this time, 2.681 people have sold irises. In November 2024, World returned to Brazil and has since ed more than 150 people in photographs. At the same time, more than 500 Brazilians have ed the app so far, which means that this number of verifications could rise even further.
Worldwide, the company has reached the milestone of 10 million iris scans, and in just 43 days in 2025, more than 1,5 million people have completed the company's verification.
A World also says he is preparing to Web3, also called Web 3.0, in which s will have greater control over their data and content. And this includes offering rewards for providing their most personal information (such as the iris of their eye), since they do so without gaining anything in Web 2.0.
Since it was created, the company has had its own cryptocurrency and even a blockchain network.
WorldID 1j6j4w
The World ID is the document that World says it is creating so that all information is grouped in one place. The company's justification is to prevent its data from being replicated by robots, preventing fraud and ensuring greater security in online transactions and interactions.
When ing the app, a person is not required to submit information such as email, full name and phone number, but they can do so to make their profile more complete. To schedule an appointment, it is necessary to use the app and schedule an appointment at one of the 10 service centers, which, in Brazil, have only been opened in the city of São Paulo.
Once the appointment is confirmed, the must go to the indicated location and scan their iris with the help of a 3D camera called OrB: photos of the face and the data connected to the will be taken. See OrB:
Financial gains only occur when you do this “human verification” and sell your iris. In fact, there is no immediate financial gain, as you will receive varying amounts of the cryptocurrency created by World, which goes by the name of Worldcoin (WLD). At the time of writing, one Worldcoin was worth about $2. Some people are receiving 12 cryptocurrencies, others double that.
Attendants of the World report that more cryptocurrencies will be deposited into s' s every month. The withdrawal amount in reais also varies considerably, since the cryptocurrency's price changes over the months.
There is an explanation for choosing the iris: in addition to being safer and more accessible to capture, it is possible to reach more than two billion people without any false positives. A special camera like the OrB is also needed to capture a person's iris data, which requires a greater investment from malicious people.
Cases in other countries 1h5t1m
A World has faced legal problems in various parts of the world since its launch. In Spain, it was banned from operating in March 2024, due to a lack of information about how data is processed and used, as well as data from minors being collected by the company.
Also in March 2024, Portugal banned the operation of World in its territory, justifying that it took the decision to “safeguard the fundamental right to the protection of personal data, especially that of minors”.
A South Korea went further and in September 2024 it imposed a fine of R$5 million (US$830) for breaching privacy laws. According to the country's Personal Information Protection Commission, an investigation revealed that the project violated measures aimed at the collection and transfer of personal data. The violations would have occurred at least until March 22 of last year, according to the investigation.
A Argentina was another country that applied a fine of just over R$1 million. In a statement, authorities stated that the measure seeks to “ensure compliance with consumer rights” and also involves requiring the company to eliminate “abusive clauses contained in its contracts” for new s.
Doubts and insecurities 2cm4w
When he returned to Brazil at the end of 2024, World The company has said it is committed to working with authorities to provide clarifications and is in with regulators. The company has also said it does not want to replace government-issued documents, but there is still a big question mark over what is done with its data.
Brazilian law states that consent to the use of personal data must be free of charge. People going to the iris scanning site is one way of making themselves available, but what will be done with the other data is still a big mystery.
In a press release, the World mentions that the images of the iris captured by the camera OrB are automatically deleted and replaced with an anonymous code. The company also defends itself by saying that the authorities do not understand how World ID works and how it can help in practice.
In 2024 the National Data Protection Authority initiated an inspection process to obtain more information about the project and assess its compliance with the General Personal Data Protection Law, but the case has not been updated since November 2024.
Would you sell photos of your iris for cryptocurrency or wait a little longer to understand World's true purpose? Tell us in the comments Comment!
See also other features
With information: Examination l CNN l World
Text proofread by: Daniel Coutinho in 14 / 01 / 2025
