ChatGPT CEO pays BRL 298 for sensitive iris data – 8/4/2023 – Tech

The chief executive of the creator of ChatGPT, Sam Altman, launched, on the last day 24, Worldcoin – a cryptocurrency generated from the identification of irises and faces of people. The project recognized the uniqueness of 2.185 million until this Thursday (3).

Anyone in São Paulo has until next Monday (7) to submit biometric data and create a “world ID” to receive 25 Worldcoins, currently quoted at around US$ 60 (R$ 293.75). The capital of São Paulo is the only city in Brazil with collection points — there are three, close to Av. Brigadier Faria Lima.

In Brazil, there are no queues to get the extra money, as in Japan, India and Kenya. Even so, the founding director of Data Privacy Brasil, Bruno Bioni, says that caution is needed. Biometric information is sensitive and Worldcoin has not submitted a personal data protection impact assessment to show how it can reduce risks.

The Kenyan government, for example, ordered the suspension of the Worldcoin service last Tuesday (1st) to investigate potential dangers against public safety. The app also has restrictions in the United States due to the regulation of cryptocurrencies, sanctioned after the billionaire scandal of the FTX brokerage.

Before the official launch in 14 countries, the company tested the platform on 2 million people in 24 countries — 14 were developing nations by the World Bank criteria, of which eight were in Africa. During the tests, the company claimed that it collected heartbeat, breathing and other vital signs information – this section was removed in the last contract of July 16.

The iris pattern has a chance of repeating itself once every 1 billion people – in the case of digitalis, it is one in 40 million. This is a very accurate identification factor.

“It’s impossible to change irises if there’s a security incident. It’s not like login and password. This authenticator increases the risk of identity theft”, says Bruno Bioni, from Data Privacy Brazil.

In a note sent to the report, Worldcoin states that it has built a robust privacy program, with advice from a respected consultancy in the area.

“Worldcoin respects all laws and regulations of the countries in which it operates, which includes the LGPD”, says the company.

Before the ANPD (National Data Protection Agency) manifested itself on the subject, the Sheet tested the collection procedure. It consists of: downloading the World App, validating it with a cell phone, accepting the terms of use and biometric collection, deciding whether the company can store your data and posing for the machine to capture images of the face and iris. It takes about two minutes.

Data processing is done on a device called Orb. As the name suggests, it is a mirrored sphere, where two sensors and a camera are located — it looks like the head of a three-eyed robot.

This device processes data without putting it on the network, promises Tools For Humanity, the company behind Worldcoin. A polyphonic sound like an old cell phone signals that the operation is over.

For registration, the user earns a cryptocurrency called Worldcoin, quoted this Thursday afternoon (3) at US$ 2.30 (R$ 11.22). About two hours later, you also get a Worldcoin participation coupon, valued at $25.

The iris registration is accompanied by an Orb operator —they are people who volunteer to register those interested. The report was answered by a young enthusiast of cryptocurrencies and NFTs, who says he was contacted by Tools For Humanity after publishing a text praising Sam Altman’s initiative.

Altman says, on several occasions, that the initiative would be a first step towards the distribution of a universal basic income, as a counterpart to possible inequalities created by the advancement of artificial intelligence.

The young man asked to have his identity preserved, since, by contract, he cannot speak on behalf of the Worldcoin project. He was wearing a T-shirt with the company’s slogan: “For every human”.

At the collection point, the report found four university employees who went to the location to create their digital identities. They preferred not to be named. Two let World App store their biometrics and two refused.

During the registration process, the company does not inform that the biometric data are sensitive and the risks involved in sharing them. It also encourages the sharing of data, informing that the storage of information can prevent returns to the Orb for registration updates.

Only in the Worldcoin Foundation Sensitive Biometric Data consent form, the company informs that this authorization also allows data to be sent to the United States and Europe for algorithm training. This document is only available in Portuguese from Portugal.

Worldcoin discloses on its website that it does not require name, email or other information in the process of creating the “World ID” to protect those interested.

The registration process, however, asks for a cell phone number and confirmation. Telephone information is available in databases leaked on the internet, and can reveal other data from crosses.

In order to be able to transfer the credit obtained with the registration, it is necessary to authorize the application to access an account on Google Drive. Anyone who does not give this permission will have the money trapped in Sam Altman’s app.

Worldcoin states that it does not mix the data involved in its architecture organized in three stages:

• WorldApp: application in which the person creates an account and generates two cryptographic and random keys;
• Orb: device developed by Tools for Humanity that is capable of extracting a person’s iris, processing the biometric data and producing an “iris code”, which is then verified against a company database;
• World ID: digital passport that proves that you are a unique and real person, but without keeping the iris code information (what is done is a zero-knowledge proof, an authentication)

All this done and considered, it is possible to win the 26 World Coins. The first is delivered at the time of registration. The second, after about two hours.

Again, whoever is going to redeem the cryptocurrency to get current money needs attention. It is only possible to transfer values ​​from the World App digital wallet to a cryptocurrency brokerage – which is done through a blockchain channel.

This form of transaction uses identification codes, and a wrong transfer is irreversible. The person needs to check if the destination is correct, if the channel used accepts the ethereum cryptocurrency (the base of the World App) and if the broker accepts the currency chosen in the operation — Binance, for example, does not work with US dollars.

Any mistake in this regard can make the person who registered your iris lose the BRL 300.