UK Citizens Can Now Trade Iris Scans for Crypto as Worldcoin Expands

Worldcoin's controversial biometric-for-crypto scheme lands in Britain—privacy advocates scream, speculators cheer.

The eyeball-scanning crypto project now lets UK residents swap iris biometrics for WLD tokens. Early adopters report payouts equivalent to $50-$200 in crypto—depending on when they cash out.

Privacy watchdogs immediately flagged GDPR concerns, while crypto traders shrugged: "Another day, another dystopian revenue stream."

Worldcoin claims 4 million signups globally since launch. Skeptics note the math: that's roughly $1.25 per eyeball at current token prices—unless you timed the market perfectly.

One City analyst quipped: "Finally, a use case for crypto that's more speculative than the assets themselves."

TLDR;

• Worldcoin is launching in London on June 12, offering UK residents WLD tokens in exchange for biometric scans.
• The project uses an Orb to create a unique, anonymous digital ID by scanning users’ irises and faces.
• While the company claims not to store personal data, critics worry about long-term privacy and security risks.
• This marks a broader shift from government-led identity systems to private, crypto-incentivized alternatives.

Starting June 12, 2025, residents of London will have the opportunity to exchange their biometric data for cryptocurrency through Worldcoin, a controversial project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

The launch marks the beginning of Worldcoin’s expansion across the United Kingdom, with plans to deploy its eye-scanning technology in cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Belfast, and Glasgow in the coming months.

The heart of the program lies in a polished metallic device called the Orb, which captures high-resolution images of a user’s iris and face to generate a unique digital identifier. This identifier, known as a World ID, verifies a person’s humanity in an increasingly AI-saturated world. Those who complete the scan are rewarded with Worldcoin’s native cryptocurrency, WLD.

The Trade-Off Between Anonymity and Biometrics

The project aims to address two global challenges: distinguishing humans from AI and providing a secure digital identity. According to Worldcoin, the data collected during registration is not stored or linked to personal details. Instead, the Orb converts the biometric information into a unique code used solely for verification. This approach seeks to strike a balance between user privacy and the need for reliable digital authentication.

However, the idea of scanning irises in exchange for crypto has sparked debate. Critics argue that no system relying on immutable biometric data can ever be completely secure. If a person’s iris code is ever compromised, there is no way to replace or reset it like a password. While Worldcoin claims to process this data locally and not store raw images, questions around surveillance, informed consent, and potential misuse continue to surface.

Global Expansion Brings Regulatory Friction

The UK rollout comes just weeks after Worldcoin halted its operations in Indonesia, citing regulatory uncertainty. That suspension underscored the importance of clear legal frameworks as private firms attempt to enter a space traditionally dominated by governments. Worldcoin has stated it remains committed to resolving licensing issues and maintaining dialogue with local authorities.

The broader implication is that Worldcoin, and similar initiatives, may be paving the way for a shift in how digital identities are issued and verified. Historically, identity has been the domain of the state. Now, a private tech startup is offering a global digital ID—linked not to citizenship but to biometric uniqueness and incentivized by crypto. That change raises questions about oversight, inclusivity, and long-term accountability.

Identity in the Age of AI and Decentralization

Sam Altman and his team argue that a new model of digital identity is necessary as AI continues to blur the lines between human and machine. World ID is intended to serve as proof of personhood online, a critical safeguard against bots and synthetic accounts. Yet despite the project’s technological sophistication, it is entering territory long fraught with ethical tension.

Worldcoin’s approach borrows elements from successful models like Estonia’s eID and India’s Aadhaar, both of which show that biometric verification can work at scale. But these systems also faced legal challenges and concerns about data security. Worldcoin’s decentralized architecture, which avoids centralized storage of sensitive data, attempts to address these concerns, but its real test will be public trust.