Sam Altman’s Worldcoin Brings Eyeball-Scanning ID Tech to the UK

Published: 11 Jun 2025

Author: Precedence Research

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Sam Altman's startup, Tools for Humanity, is set to release its eyeball-scanning Orb devices in the UK. From this week, people in six cities like London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Belfast, and Glasgow will benefit from Orb devices. These spherical, iris-scanning Orbs are situated in malls and high streets to confirm users' identity with iris scanning and give them a "World ID" credential through an app.  Users will also be given some Worldcoin cryptocurrency as part of the process. 
The larger goal is to create an easy way to distinguish between humans and AI-generated bots and deepfakes at a time when fake content has been predicted to make up at least 90% of the internet.  World previously rolled out in six cities (partly in preparation for this rollout), and according to the startup, they believe British users are digitally savvy and need verification in a rapidly emerging AI world.  

Despite their goals, World is meeting some resistance to the rollout from privacy and regulatory concerns--Spain and Hong Kong have banned it, and German authorities recently started an investigation into how it is processing the biometric images. Tools for Humanity says the scans are converted to encrypted codes and stored only on the users' phones and not saved on its servers. With roughly 1,500 Orbs in use currently and plans to deploy tens of thousands more, the UK rollout demonstrates the startup's ambition to move into biometric ID--and what will ultimately be very significant issues of privacy, potential utility, and public trust in using AI technology, as these technologies reshape who we are digitally.

Key Highlights

• UK Launch Cities: Worldcoin will launch its iris-scanning Orbs in six cities across the UK: London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Belfast, and Glasgow.
• Crypto Incentive: In addition to the verification, users will receive a small amount of Worldcoin cryptocurrency.
• Main Objective: The technology's primary goal is to distinguish real humans from AI bots and deepfakes online.
• Prior Launches: The Orbs were first released in six cities in the US before ZIP timing to the UK launch.
• Privacy Issues: Worldcoin has faced criticism in other regions. Spain and Hong Kong banned Worldcoin over privacy concerns, and Germany is investigating project privacy.
• Data Protection Assurance: According to Tools for Humanity, iris data is encrypted and is only stored on users' devices and not on a central server.
• Global Roll-out Plan: There are about 1,500 Orbs that are already operating, and the company plans to roll out thousands more around the globe.
• AI-Related Relevance: The launch in the UK signals the need for robust digital identity technologies and tools within a world that AI increasingly dominates.
• Public Debate: The project has stirred up continued discussions about privacy and data ethics, as well as the public's perceptions towards biometric technologies.