According to the project’s website, Worldcoin has supporters in 38 different locations across Argentina. Most of these locations are in the country’s capital, Buenos Aires.
Worldcoin is a blockchain-based project that allows individuals to prove their human identity by scanning their irises. Once users verify their identity, they receive a “World ID” that can be integrated into future applications to demonstrate that they are not bots or artificial intelligence (AI) programs. The project was founded by Sam Altman, co-founder of OpenAI, who argues that human IDs will be necessary in the future as AI programs become more sophisticated and less distinguishable from humans.
Worldcoin was launched on July 25 and immediately faced criticism from privacy advocates. Critics argue that it is too centralized and could potentially leak users’ biometric data, leading to negative consequences for users.
In a post on August 31, the group stated that many Argentinians are still registering for World ID despite the controversies. “The demand for World ID verification in countries around the world [after launch] has increased significantly,” the group noted. This “continued into August, with 9.5 thousand Argentinians verifying their World IDs in just one day.”
The post also mentioned that the surge in registrations had temporarily made the Worldcoin app the number one app on the App Store in Argentina.
Worldcoin offers its own currency, WLD, to new users upon registration. Currently, the registration reward is 25 WLD, worth around 10,239.48 Argentine pesos (ARS) or 29.25 USD on the open market. According to cost of living data from the Expatistan website, this amount is enough to buy two “basic lunch menu” meals in commercial areas of major cities in Argentina. The token reached its all-time high on the launch day when the 25 WLD reward was valued at around 23,791 ARS, equivalent to 68 USD.