📣 Worldcoin Faces Shortage of Biometric Orbs Amid Surging Demand
posted 25 Apr 2024
Sam Altman's Worldcoin project is facing a shortage of its Orb devices, used for capturing biometric data such as iris scans. This data is integral to verifying users and preventing the creation of duplicate or fake accounts.
Due to the project's popularity, massive queues have formed around these silver orbs. The enthusiasm is further fueled by the incentive of receiving 10 WLD ($51) for the first scan, followed by an additional 3 WLD ($15) every two weeks, totaling up to 120 WLD.
Verified users also enjoy transaction priority and gas fee discounts on World Chain, Worldcoin’s recently launched L2 network on the Ethereum blockchain.
However, the influx of participants has complicated logistics, forcing Worldcoin to deploy security and managers at scanning stations. Although the team anticipated high interest, they expected it later and were unprepared for the immediate surge.
Currently, there are only between 300 and 500 Orb devices available, located in six countries: Argentina, Chile, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and the USA.
Notably, U.S. users are prohibited from using or holding WLD coins. In some other countries, including India, Brazil, and France, Worldcoin has had to pause biometric verification due to local regulators' concerns over user privacy.
Worldcoin is now ramping up production of new orbs at an undisclosed factory in Germany to meet the growing demand.
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