WorryFree Computers   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

Economic desperation drives 500,000 Argentinians to Sam Altman's Worldcoin crypto project

midian182

midian182

Posts: 9,862   +125
Staff member
A hot potato: Worldcoin, the iris-scanning crypto project from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is finding plenty of success in Argentina, where 500,000 people have handed their biometric data over to the company. But with inflation in the Latin American nation at around 288% and Worldcoin offering $50 in crypto to everyone who looks into its Orbs, the figure comes as little surprise.

Skyrocketing inflation and high unemployment have sent half a million people in Argentina to Worldcoin's Palantír-like Orbs. The company says the iris-scanning technology can establish an individual's identity, at which point a digital World ID is created that can be used pseudonymously in a wide variety of everyday applications.

What attracts most people to Worldcoin is the $50 worth of free crypto tokens handed to them in exchange for their iris scans.

The Rest of the World reports that a network of intermediaries who earn a commission from every iris scan has convinced thousands in Argentina to sign up. Many are aware of the data-collection controversies surrounding Worldcoin – it has been temporarily banned in Spain, France, and Portugal; Kenya told it to cease operations; and the company stopped its Orb services in India and Brazil. But in places like the greater Buenos Aires area, which has a poverty rate of 45%, desperation outweighs privacy concerns. Argentina is in the middle of an economic crisis as President Javier Milei's policies of eliminating social welfare plans and projects helping the country's poor take effect.

Worldcoin Orbs were available in 25 countries last year. According to the website, they are now only found in Argentina, Chile, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, South Korea, Peru, and the US.

"When you earn money by bringing people in, people are the product," Javier Smaldone, a software consultant and digital security expert, told Rest of World. "[Worldcoin] is taking away something much more valuable than cash."

Lawmakers in Argentina are trying to do something about the situation. A draft bill regulating Worldcoin and its operator in the country has been proposed. There have been calls for similar legislation in Mexico, where Worldcoin recently announced a planned expansion, while South Korea has also launched an investigation.

Permalink to story:

Economic desperation drives 500,000 Argentinians to Sam Altman's Worldcoin crypto project

 
Argentina has elected a president, Javier Gerardo Milei, that is an economist. That's economist not socialist. I recently watched an extensive interview with him and the country is pulling out of the desperate straits they were in far quicker than expected. It's still very tough but when socialism grabs your hair there is no easy fix
 
  • Like
Reactions: Endymio
RudyBob said:
Argentina has elected a president, Javier Gerardo Milei, that is an economist. That's economist not socialist. I recently watched an extensive interview with him and the country is pulling out of the desperate straits they were in far quicker than expected. It's still very tough but when socialism grabs your hair there is no easy fix
Click to expand...
Argentina has a very interesting story, economically too. It would be nice if they found a way to prosperity
they once had.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Theinsanegamer and RudyBob
toooooot said:
Argentina has a very interesting story, economically too. It would be nice if they found a way to prosperity
they once had.
Click to expand...
Yes; they were the most prosperous nation in South America-- until they elected a President on the premise that corporations and the evil rich were exploiting the populace.

emmzo said:
Classic pyramid! Ofc, it works best in poverty.
Click to expand...
It's rather clear you don't understand what a pyramid scheme even is. If so, it would be clear to you why crypto isn't even close. It may (or may not) be a poor investment, it may (or may not) be a financial bubble. But not a pyramid. Please, use words properly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RudyBob
Endymio said:
Yes; they were the most prosperous nation in South America-- until they elected a President on the premise that corporations and the evil rich were exploiting the populace.


It's rather clear you don't understand what a pyramid scheme even is. If so, it would be clear to you why crypto isn't even close. It may (or may not) be a poor investment, it may (or may not) be a financial bubble. But not a pyramid. Please, use words properly.
Click to expand...
Yep, thanks for the correction. It's a Ponzi, not a pyramid.
 
toooooot said:
Argentina has a very interesting story, economically too. It would be nice if they found a way to prosperity
they once had.
Click to expand...
It's a real shame, and a warning sign against electing people based on emotions.

Sadly much of the world hasnt gotten that message....
 
Another step along the road to a perfectly dystopian world begins. I can't see any reason why these orbs should be tolerated.
 
OortCloud said:
Another step along the road to a perfectly dystopian world begins. I can't see any reason why these orbs should be tolerated.
Click to expand...
There's that whole 'freedom' problem, Herr Himmler. As soon as we dispose of that, we can freely ban them entirely.
 
OortCloud said:
What a ridiculous response.
Click to expand...

free·dom (n) The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

Banning a person's right to buy and sell items you personally dislike is one step closer to that dystopian, all-monitoring Orwellian future.
 
pa·tron·iz·ing (adj) Showing or characterized by a superior attitude towards others : marked by condescension, arrogance and an unjustified sense of superiority.
 
OortCloud said:
pa·tron·iz·ing (adj) Showing or characterized by a superior attitude towards others : marked by condescension, arrogance and an unjustified sense of superiority.
Click to expand...
While I give you high marks for cleverness and snark, you do realize that your point in no way refutes my own, right?
 
RudyBob said:
Argentina has elected a president, Javier Gerardo Milei, that is an economist. That's economist not socialist. I recently watched an extensive interview with him and the country is pulling out of the desperate straits they were in far quicker than expected. It's still very tough but when socialism grabs your hair there is no easy fix
Click to expand...
There is no left wing nor right wing anymore. All speak, but do nothing. And when they do something, they do it in a way so that nothing would change or that it would later stimulate the global plan. Divide and conquer, and micro$oft 's EEE are the rule.
 
yannus said:
There is no left wing nor right wing anymore. All speak, but do nothing. And when they do something, they do it in a way so that nothing would change or that it would later stimulate the global plan. Divide and conquer, and micro$oft 's EEE are the rule.
Click to expand...
You are wrong. I don't know how you arrived at your thesis but you shouldn't, though some will, argue with success. It's funny and sad at the same time. A search reveals much disinformation on his success. There is no denying that under Javier Argentina has really turned it around. Socialism is an economic failure. Always will be
 
RudyBob said:
You are wrong. I don't know how you arrived at your thesis but you shouldn't, though some will, argue with success. It's funny and sad at the same time. A search reveals much disinformation on his success. There is no denying that under Javier Argentina has really turned it around. Socialism is an economic failure. Always will be
Click to expand...
There is no denying ? Well he just started... by showing openly he was working for another country and people. Trump build a wall between the US and Mexico. Are there less migrants ? It's all a show. There's no left nor right, only the elite against us.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

midian182
Sam Altman's iris-scanning Worldcoin crypto project has been banned in Spain over privacy...
Replies
0
Views
216
midian182
midian182
midian182
Sam Altman envisions a future where universal basic income is a "slice of GPT"
Replies
23
Views
369
matthisd
M
midian182
Sam Altman's Worldcoin expands iris-scanning crypto network globally, but not in the US
Replies
4
Views
463
Uncle Al
Uncle Al

Latest posts

Back