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The Orb, an identity verification device created by Sam Altman’s startup Tools For Humanity, has launched in six US cities. Starting May 1, thousands of Orbs will be available for use at select locations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Nashville, Miami, and Austin.
Tools For Humanity, co-founded by Altman, created the Orb with the aim of making it a global standard for distinguishing humans from artificial intelligence. By scanning a person’s retina, the sci-fi-esque camera generates a unique digital identity, which serves as a secure means of verification for identity-sensitive online platforms.
Until now, the Orb was available in the US only through limited testing, but more than 12 million people have already verified themselves using one across 20 other countries. Users have accessed Orbs at shopping malls, co-working spaces, and at Tools For Humanity events.
Tools For Humanity plans to deploy 7,500 Orbs in the US, including at new locations in Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Orlando, by summer 2027 at the latest. It also wants to introduce an on-demand Orb delivery service in Latin America.
How does Orb work?
After performing a scan and verifying an individual, the Orb sends a so-called “WorldID” to their smartphone, which may then be used to access online banking, social media accounts, and other platforms. This was not the Orb’s original purpose; it was initially designed to distribute free cryptocurrency as a form of universal basic income (UBI) under a project called Worldcoin.
Individuals can verify their identity with the scanner and then trade cryptocurrency exclusively with other verified users, reducing fraud risk and providing the secure infrastructure needed to distribute UBI fairly. However, in October 2024, Worldcoin rebranded to simply World, a move likely intended to broaden its identity beyond cryptocurrency.
Currently, World IDs can be used to access certain “human-only” Reddit threads, Discord channels, and Shopify deals. Additional applications are expected in gaming and dating.
Orb verification on dating apps
As part of its US expansion, Tools For Humanity has partnered with Match Group, which owns the dating services Tinder, Hinge, OKCupid, and Match.com. Starting with Tinder in Japan, users will be able to verify their identity with WorldID.
“Dating is perhaps the most intuitive application for human verification — the entire purpose is connecting with another real person,” Tools For Humanity wrote in a blog post. “When users can’t trust they’re interacting with actual humans, the foundational promise of dating platforms breaks down completely.”
Orb-verified Tinder profiles will receive a badge indicating they’re real humans, which will be visible to their matches. Tools For Humanity says it plans to explore additional verification options on other dating apps as part of the new partnership.
Privacy risks and Altman’s potential world domination
Since the Orb’s official unveiling in 2021, security experts and advocacy groups have raised concerns over its collection and storage of sensitive biometric data. At the company’s “At Last” event in San Francisco on Wednesday, Adrian Ludwig, chief architect of Tools For Humanity, said that he had spoken to US regulators to get the Stateside expansion off the ground, according to Bloomberg.
The World project has been banned in Hong Kong and has encountered regulatory scrutiny in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Kenya, and South Korea. A crypto security firm claimed to have found a vulnerability that allowed unverified individuals to become Orb operators in 2023.
Others have been concerned about the power that the already-powerful Altman would wield if in charge of a global currency, and how its current business model encourages users to overlook privacy risks for financial gain. Tools For Humanity offers “Worldcoin Grants” to some early Orb users and continues to compensate “World Operators” with it for assisting with onboarding and expanding the user base.
“Worldcoin is a potential privacy nightmare that offers a biometrics-dependent vision of digital identity and cryptocurrency, and would place Sam Altman’s Tools For Humanity company at the center of digital governance,” Jake Wiener, counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, wrote in a 2023 statement.
In March, Altman was in talks with Visa to integrate World ID into payment systems, according to Coindesk. This would allow individuals to use stablecoins for purchases at any store that accepts Visa, while also simplifying the process of converting cryptocurrency into traditional cash. Critics warn this could greatly expand the attack surface for hackers seeking access to users’ biometric data — and unlike a password, once this information is compromised, it can’t be changed.
Tools For Humanity told CNN it ensures user security by automatically deleting iris images captured by the Orb, and by encrypting all biometric data both during transmission and at rest. It has also open-sourced its technology, allowing third parties to verify its claims.