Sam Altman's World raises $135M from Andreessen, Bain, to expand network
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's digital identification project, World, secured $135 million from Andreessen Horowitz and Bain Capital Crypto to expand its iris-scanning infrastructure in the U.S. and globally. Over 12.5 million World IDs have been issued across 160 jurisdictions. The project aims to establish "proof of personhood" through biometric data collection but faces regulatory challenges and bans in multiple countries. Brazil's National Data Protection Authority banned World for violating informed consent by incentivizing biometric data collection with cryptocurrency payments, imposing potential fines of 50,000 Brazilian reais daily. Indonesia's Ministry of Communications suspended World’s business license for failing to register as a digital asset service provider and is investigating the project. Additionally, a German regulator mandated compliance with EU data protection standards, requiring users to have the option to delete their biometric data.
