Sam Altman's World project raised $135 million from Andreessen and Bain to expand its network.

Source: Cointelegraph Original text: "Sam Altman's World project raises $135 million from Andreessen and Bain to expand the network"

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's digital identity project World announced that it has raised $135 million in funding from venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Bain Capital Crypto.

According to the announcement, the funds will be used to expand World’s network of iris scanning spheres and infrastructure in the United States. The company stated in April that it would operate in six cities in the U.S. while increasing its global coverage.

The company stated that over 12.5 million people have obtained World ID in more than 160 jurisdictions.

The project establishes a "personality proof" by collecting individuals' biometric data, but faces regulatory resistance and bans in multiple countries. Critics argue that collecting biometric data through economic incentives violates the principle of informed consent, raising debates about the ethics of centralized digital identity systems and data privacy.

The Brazilian National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) ordered World to stop providing services in the country in January, citing concerns that incentivizing the collection of biometric data through cryptocurrency payments violated the principle of informed consent.

ANPD maintained its ban on World in March, pointing out issues with the company's business model of exchanging biometric data for cryptocurrency payments to users.

If World continues to operate in Brazil, it will face a fine of 50,000 Brazilian Reais (8,851 US dollars) per day.

Indonesia's Ministry of Communications and Digital (Komdigi), a data and communications regulator, suspended World's business license on May 4, accusing some of the company's subsidiaries of failing to register as digital asset service providers under the Electronic System Operator Certificate Register (TDPSE) framework.

Komdigi has launched an investigation into the project and will meet with representatives from the subsidiary after the suspension to clarify the matter.

The bans from these two countries came after the Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision (BayLDA) in Germany issued an order in December 2024, requiring World to comply with the EU's data protection standards, allowing individuals to easily delete their biometric data from the internet.

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