Co-founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin has issued a warning about digital identity projects like World, claiming they could pose a threat to online pseudonymity. World, a project claiming to have registered over 13 million “unique humans,” is one of the many initiatives causing Buterin’s concern.
Buterin’s concerns, shared in a recent post, are centered around digital ID projects that leverage zero-knowledge proofs. He emphasized that initiatives like World, championed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, could potentially eradicate the pseudonymity treasured by many internet users, particularly within the cryptocurrency community.
Buterin cautioned, “Under one-per-person ID, even if ZK-wrapped, we risk coming closer to a world where all of your activity must de-facto be under a single public identity.” He further added that removing the pseudonymity option could pose significant risks in an increasingly volatile world.
World is a digital identity venture predominantly spearheaded by Tools for Humanity, co-founded by Altman and CEO Alex Blania. The project involves scanning users’ eyeballs to confirm their human status, after which they receive a World ID and a bonus in the form of WLD tokens. The biometric data collected by World’s Orbs to manifest a digital identity is protected by zero-knowledge proofs, a method also known as ZK wrapping. This allows users to validate a fact (like their humanity) without revealing the underlying data (their actual identity).
Buterin acknowledges that digital identity initiatives utilizing zero-knowledge proofs seem to be gaining traction, citing not only World but also initiatives in the European Union and Taiwan. Despite seeing potential drawbacks in a one-ID-per-person system, he conceded that there are benefits, such as distinguishing from AI-powered agents. A significant selling point for World is its ability to help users identify other human users.
Buterin commented, “On the surface, widespread adoption of ZK-wrapped digital ID seems like it would be a great victory … protecting our social media, voting, and all kinds of internet services against manipulation from sybils and bots, all without compromising on privacy.” However, he argued that rigid implementation of digital identity projects like World could jeopardize pseudonymity.
World, which has faced criticism from privacy advocates since its launch, has recently gained traction. The project launched in the U.S and plans to release a Visa card. A pilot program in cooperation with Tinder in Japan is also in the works, aimed at providing users with more clarity about the identities of potential matches.
Instead of a single ZK-wrapped “one-per-person ID” solution, Buterin proposes a pluralistic model where digital identities are not issued by a single person, institution, or platform.
