Vitalik Buterin Questions Sam Altman's Worldcoin Project

Vitalik Buterin Raises Privacy Concerns Regarding Worldcoin’s Digital ID System

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, has voiced concerns about the privacy implications of the digital identification system promoted by Sam Altman’s World project.

Worldcoin’s Approach to Identity Verification

Initially known as Worldcoin, World was developed by Altman and Alex Blania through their organization, Tools for Humanity. The project aims to differentiate between artificial intelligence agents and humans by scanning individuals’ irises and establishing a unique blockchain-based identity.

Buterin acknowledged that the use of zero-knowledge proofs, as employed by World to verify human identity while preserving anonymity, is also being investigated by other digital passport and digital ID initiatives.

The Risks of a “One-Per-Person” ID System

He conceded that, superficially, a “ZK-wrapped digital ID” could be beneficial in safeguarding social media, voting systems, and other online services from manipulation by bots and sybil attacks, without sacrificing privacy.

However, Buterin contends that this approach ultimately relies on a “one-per-person” identification system, which introduces substantial risks to individual privacy.

“Pseudonymity typically necessitates the use of multiple accounts,” Buterin explained. “A one-per-person ID, even when ZK-wrapped, could lead to a situation where all online activity is tied to a single, public identity.”

He further argued that restricting the ability to maintain pseudonymity poses significant drawbacks, particularly in an environment with increasing risks like the proliferation of drones.

Government Access and Potential for Abuse

Buterin highlighted the recent U.S. government requirement for student and scholar visa applicants to make their social media accounts public for screening purposes as a concrete example of these risks.

He suggested that even without a direct public link between accounts associated with a single digital ID, governments could compel individuals to reveal their identities, granting access to their complete online activity.

Advocating for Pluralistic Identity

Buterin proposes an alternative approach centered around “pluralistic identity,” where “there is no single dominant issuing authority – be it a person, an institution, or a platform.”

Pluralistic systems can function in two ways:

• Explicit: Users verify their identity through endorsements from already verified individuals.
• Implicit: Reliance on a diverse range of identity systems.

In his assessment, these methods represent “the best realistic solution” for verifying human identity without compromising privacy.

The Potential for Integration

Buterin concluded by suggesting that the optimal outcome for existing “one-per-person” identity projects would be their integration with social-graph-based identity systems.