Sam Altman’s Eye-Scanning Orbs Now Watch You Decide if You’re Real
KEY POINTS
- •Sam Altman’s World, formerly Worldcoin, upgraded its identity tool World ID for apps like Zoom, Tinder, DocuSign, Okta, Shopify, and VanEck.
- •World ID verifies human identity via a selfie, government ID, or in-person iris-scanning orbs, with companies choosing their verification level.
- •About 17.9 million users have adopted World ID worldwide, with World expanding orb availability in US cities to increase proximity and usage.
World, the identity startup co-founded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman (yes, the AI whisperer), just pumped its iris-scanning ‘orbs’ with Zoom, Tinder, DocuSign, Shopify, and even VanEck like raves need more security. Previously called Worldcoin (because biometrics and crypto vibes always mix), they’re pushing World ID—an authentication system demanding everything from a selfie to government ID or full-on eye-scan orb visits. The goal? Guard against fake humans and deepfakes in video calls, digital signatures, and even Tinder dates, where ghosting bots finally meet their match. Proudly boast 17.9 million users globally, with just 1.1 million North Americans because nothing says ‘mainstream’ like iris scans in SF, NYC, and LA that are a casual 5 to 10 minutes away. Tiago Sada, their chief product officer, admitted humans are who you trust 'when anything can be fake,' which sounds like a Tinder pickup line for the AI apocalypse.
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(1 of 3)When your dating profile needs an iris scan and Zoom calls require forensic-level human verification, congratulations: the future is here and nobody’s touching the orb.
Nothing says ‘trust me’ like sending people to stand 5-10 minutes from a glowing eyeball scanning their soul. Sign me up for that dystopia.
World’s orbs are basically pick-your-own biometric nightmare: selfie, government ID, or giant glowing eyeball scanner because privacy died with dial-up.
Source: Axios | Published: 4/17/2026 | Author: Sam Sabin
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