What are the highlights of Worldcoin's update to World ID 2.0?

Last night, Worldcoin ushered in a major protocol upgrade, announcing the launch of the World ID 2.0 digital passport and high-performance development platform. Speaking to BlockBeats, Worldcoin CEO Alex Blania called the World ID 2.0 release “a bit like Apple releasing a new version of iOS.”

On July 24 of this year, Worldcoin was officially launched, and the idea behind it was simple: AI would create a lot of wealth for humans, but it could also kill a lot of people’s jobs, as the system grew to the point where it was almost impossible to tell who was a human and not a robot. This gap needs to be closed by creating a very good system of human identity so that humans can prove that they are in fact human, and by providing UBI (Universal Basic Income) to everyone.

Worldcoin is unique in that it relies on highly sophisticated biometric technology, using specialized hardware called “Orb” to scan the iris of each user’s eye and generate a World ID. According to the official website, 4.8 million people have obtained a World ID.

Related Reading: If Worldcoin Succeeds, What Will Be the Impact on the Crypto Industry?

World ID 1.0 is an open and permissionless identity protocol that can be used not only as a global digital passport, but also as an anonymous proof of the uniqueness of a person, i.e., “you are you” without revealing privacy.

And what aspects of World ID 2.0 have been upgraded on the basis of World ID 1.0, and what are the innovations and things to look forward to?

World ID 2.0 Highlights

World ID App Store

World ID 2.0 has integrations with major e-commerce, gaming, and social media platforms, including a plugin for Reddit, a bot for Telegram, integrations with Shopify, and apps like Mercado Libre, Minecraft, and apps like Discord, Talent Protocol, and Okta’s Auth 0.

Tiago Sada, director of product at Worldcoin, told BlockBeats that the World ID 2.0 integration will let Reddit moderators grant special permissions to those who use their World IDs “so they know you’re not spamming.” There is a lot of bot activity in Minecraft games, and if World ID is adopted in Minecraft, it may help reduce this activity.

For example, merchants who offer discounts on Shopify can use World ID to ensure that each user only gets the discount once. In addition, the team is building a Shopify store for Worldcoin, where there will be something that users can buy, or if you’re a person with a World ID, you’ll get some items for free.

At the same time, Worldcoin has also built a developer platform for the World ID app so that developers can build apps on top of it.

In terms of building apps, for example, Shopify will have an SDK where developers can build integrations for the Shopify system. So, the Shopify team reviews these integrations, and then Worldcoin approves them for listing, and users simply connect directly. According to Tiago, it’s like building an app on Apple, but it’s not done by Apple officially, it’s built by developers building on Apple-developed systems.

On December 6, the Worldcoin Foundation announced a $5 million community grant program called “Wave 0,” grants designed to allow developers to “focus on building resilient technologies and fairer systems on Worldcoin,” with grant funds in the form of WLD tokens.

Developers building World ID applications are able to apply for the program from the Foundation. Remco Bloemen, head of protocols at Worldcoin, said in an interview that the grants are not only for developers, but that "more needs to be done by the community, which also includes raising awareness and educating people about the importance of the work that the technology is trying to solve in terms of “income inequality, governance, and other existential risks.”

World ID verification level

World ID 1.0 has only one type of World ID authentication, and World ID 2.0 introduces three different levels of authentication, namely: World ID Device, World ID Orb, and World ID Orb+, covering the range from ordinary daily needs to security levels, and developers can choose the level of verification that suits their applications.

World ID Device is a lower level of authentication that eliminates retinal scanning and allows users to authenticate on their own device. This can help extend World ID to people who can’t access the Orb site, and can also be used to log in applications that are less restrictive about personal identity requirements.

World ID Orb is a compromise level of validation for platform-integrated app updates, and for most applications, a World ID verified by Orb provides a good balance between convenience and security.

World ID Orb+ is a stricter level of authentication, and if developers want to use this option to identify users who are Orb-authenticated, they will need to re-authenticate themselves on the device every time they log in with World ID, and they will also need to use facial recognition to secure the application.

In addition to this, Tiago, Director of Product at Worldcoin, also revealed to BlockBeats that if a user loses their World ID, it can be retrieved in World ID 2.0, if the World ID expires, they can update it directly from their phone, and for those who change their mind and don’t want their World ID, they can now cancel their World ID directly from their phone.

Worldcoin will continue to focus on the Asian market

The update to World ID 2.0 has made the crypto community realize once again that we are getting closer to Mass Adoption. In addition to integrating more apps and upgrading the way World ID authentication is being upgraded, there are a number of recent developments in Worldcoin that are also worth noting, most notably the fact that Worldcoin is preparing to launch its business in Singapore.

Previously, BlockBeats interviewed Worldcoin CEO Alex Blania and Product Director Tiago Sada, both of whom see the Asian market as a strategic location for Worldcoin’s growth.

Read: Interview with Worldcoin’s Product Director: Worldcoin will be the first to enter the Asian market in the future.

While attending the Singapore Token 2049 event, Alex said that Worldcoin is currently focusing more on promotion and operations, while at the same time being surprised by the level of enthusiasm for the Asian region. In November, the Worldcoin team visited Asia again and had in-depth exchanges and communication with developers and users in South Korea, Hong Kong and other places, which had an important impact on the development strategy of the Worldcoin team.

On November 13, Tools for Humanity, the Worldcoin development team, announced that in the latest World App update, it will add Chinese (Simplified), Hindi, Japanese, and Korean as available languages, and support for the display of currencies such as Indian Rupee ($), Japanese Yen ($), South Korean Won (₩), and Singapore Dollar ($) to accommodate the needs of the Asian market.

It is foreseeable that in the future, the Worldcoin team will continue to build a wider range of application scenarios for the World ID identity protocol and bring it into the lives of more ordinary people.