30s Summary

Crypto firm World, previously called Worldcoin, has fired a privacy jibe at Spotify, hinting that it doesn’t invade user privacy like the music service’s “Wrapped” functionality. World’s service, World ID, uses eye-scanning tech to offer anonymous verification services, and its goal is to guarantee a basic income for owners. World’s services, however, face legal challenges and are not available in the US due to regulatory uncertainties and ongoing litigation involving co-founder Sam Altman, Trump adviser Elon Musk, and Musk’s associate David Sacks.

Full Article

World, previously known as Worldcoin, recently took a playful dig at Spotify’s “Wrapped” year-end user reports. In a spoof, World mocked Spotify’s approach to user privacy.

World posted a picture along with a statement on its verified account saying, “World ID lets you & your actions stay anonymous online.” The attached image mimicked Spotify’s “Unwrapped” style, which presents personalized user data.

It added humor by quoting some of the “Unwrapped” phrases like, “to the human who played the Heavy Metal Sleep playlist every night for months,” and added “We don’t know anything about you (but we’re intrigued)”.

Spotify’s ‘Unwrapped’ is loved for its shareability and community feel, but also criticized for using user data and compromising privacy. Recent tie-ups with Google’s artificial intelligence services have left some users feeling let down with its 2024 “Wrapped” reports.

Alongside teasing Spotify, World itself has received backlash from users and governments recently. World’s primary offering, World ID, promises anonymous verification services by using eye-scanning tech known as “Orbs”. Registered users can also claim “WLD” token grants.

World’s ultimate goal is to guarantee basic income for World ID owners, and provide global anonymous-identity verification, allowing users to do transactions and travel anonymously while fulfilling ID requirements.

However, this has led to challenges in the EU and elsewhere due to data protection rules. The service was also suspended in the Dominican Republic last November.

World services are not available in the US due to regulatory uncertainties, although that could change with the incoming president, Donald Trump, promising to revamp crypto regulations.

However, World’s co-founder Sam Altman’s ongoing legal issues with Trump adviser Elon Musk over AI firm OpenAI, could spell trouble. Musk’s close associate David Sacks is expected to be named the new “White House Cryptocurrency and AI Czar” and he supports Musk’s stance to prevent OpenAI from becoming a for-profit company.

This could potentially impact World, but it’s a wait and see situation to determine if the new admin changes will allow Worldcoin to launch in the US.