Last night, Worldcoin underwent a major protocol upgrade and announced the release of World ID 2.0 digital passport and high-performance development platform. Worldcoin CEO Alex Blania compared the release of World ID 2.0 to "Apple releasing a new version of iOS" during an exchange with BlockBeats.

On July 24th of this year, Worldcoin officially launched with a simple idea behind it: AI will create a lot of wealth for humanity, but it may also kill many people's jobs because the system will eventually be unable to distinguish between humans and robots. Therefore, it is necessary to fill this loophole in the following ways: first, create a very good human identity verification system so that humans can prove that they are actually humans; second, provide UBI (Universal Basic Income) to everyone.

The uniqueness of Worldcoin lies in its reliance on highly complex biometric technology. It uses proprietary hardware called "Orb" to scan each user's iris and generate a World ID, which serves as the underlying identity protocol for Worldcoin. This ensures that each person can only register one account with their pupil. According to official website data, currently 4.8 million people have obtained a World ID.

Related reading: "What impact will Worldcoin have on the cryptocurrency industry if it succeeds?"

World ID 1.0, as an open and permissionless identity protocol, can not only serve as a universal digital passport, but also anonymously prove a person's uniqueness, meaning "you are you" without revealing any privacy information.

What are the aspects that have been upgraded in World ID 2.0 based on World ID 1.0, and what are the innovations and exciting features to look forward to?

World ID 2.0 Highlights

World ID App Store

World ID 2.0 has been integrated with mainstream e-commerce, gaming, and social media platforms, including launching a plugin for Reddit, a bot for Telegram, integration with Shopify, as well as apps such as Mercado Libre and Minecraft. Previously integrated applications include Discord, Talent Protocol, and Okta's Auth0.

Worldcoin's Product Director, Tiago Sada, told BlockBeats that the integration of World ID 2.0 will allow Reddit moderators to grant special permissions to those who use their World ID, "so they know you're not sending spam." There is a significant amount of bot activity in the Minecraft game, and using World ID in Minecraft may help reduce this activity.

For example, merchants offering discounts on Shopify can use World ID to ensure that each user only receives the discount once. In addition, the team is building a Shopify store for Worldcoin, where there will be some items available for purchase by users. If you have a World ID, you will receive some items for free.

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

Regarding the specific construction of the App, for example, Shopify has an SDK that developers can use to build integrations for the Shopify system. Therefore, the Shopify team reviews these integrations, and then Worldcoin approves them to be listed, and users can simply connect directly. Tiago said that this is similar to building applications on Apple, but those contents are not created by Apple officials, but by developers building on the system developed by Apple.

On December 6th, the Worldcoin Foundation announced a $5 million community funding program called "Wave0". These grants are intended to allow developers to "focus on building resilient technology and fairer systems on Worldcoin", and funding will be provided in the form of WLD tokens.

Developers building World ID applications can apply for the program from the Foundation. Remco Bloemen, the Worldcoin protocol lead, stated in an interview that these grants are not only aimed at developers, but also that "the community needs to make greater efforts, including raising awareness and educating people about the importance of the technology's efforts to address issues such as income inequality, governance, and other survival risks."

World ID Verification Level

World ID 1.0 has only one type of World ID verification. In World ID 2.0, three different levels of verification were introduced, namely: World ID Device, World ID Orb, and World ID Orb+. These cover a range of needs from everyday ordinary requirements to security levels. Developers can choose the appropriate verification level for their application as needed.

World ID Device belongs to a lower level of verification, eliminating retina scanning and allowing users to authenticate their identity on their own devices. This can help extend World ID to people who cannot access Orb sites and can also be used to log in to applications with less stringent requirements for personal identity.

World ID Orb is a compromise verification level for platform-integrated app updates. For most applications, achieving a balance between convenience and security can be achieved by verifying the World ID through Orb.

World ID Orb+ belongs to a stricter verification level. If developers want to use this option to identify users who have been verified by Orb, they will need to re-verify themselves on their device every time they log in with World ID, and also use facial recognition to protect the security of the application.

In addition, Tiago, the product director of Worldcoin, also revealed to BlockBeats that if users lose their World ID, they can retrieve it in World ID 2.0; if the World ID expires, they can update it directly from their mobile phone; and for those who change their minds and do not want their World ID, they can now cancel it directly from their mobile phone.

Worldcoin will continue to cultivate the Asian market

The update of World ID 2.0 has once again made the encryption community realize that we are getting closer and closer to Mass Adoption. In addition to integrating more applications and upgrading the World ID verification method, Worldcoin has also had many new developments recently that are worth paying attention to. The most noteworthy is that Worldcoin is preparing to launch its business in Singapore.

Previously, BlockBeats conducted exclusive interviews with Worldcoin CEO Alex Blania and Product Director Tiago Sada, both of whom view the Asian market as a strategic location for Worldcoin's development.

Related reading: "Interview with Worldcoin Product Director: Worldcoin will first enter the Asian market in the future".

Alex said during the Token2049 event in Singapore that Worldcoin will focus more on promotion and operation. At the same time, Alex was surprised by the enthusiasm in the Asian region. In November, the Worldcoin team visited Asia again and had in-depth communication with developers and users in South Korea, Hong Kong and other places. This trip to Asia has had a significant impact on the development strategy of the Worldcoin team.

On November 13th, the Tools for Humanity development team of Worldcoin announced that in the latest update of the World App, Chinese (Simplified), Hindi, Japanese, and Korean will be added as available languages. The update will also support the display of currencies such as Indian Rupees ($), Japanese Yen ($), Korean Won (₩), and Singapore Dollars ($), in order to meet the demands of the Asian market.

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

Welcome to join the official BlockBeats community:

Telegram Subscription Group: https://t.me/theblockbeats

Telegram Discussion Group: https://t.me/BlockBeats_App

Official Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/BlockBeatsAsia