Frequently Asked Questions
General
The real human network. Universal proof of human, finance and connection for every human.
Distinguish between humans and AI online. Access universally inclusive finance. And connect with other real humans. It's free to join and designed to be owned by everyone.
Technology is rapidly advancing and its benefits should reach and elevate everyone.
World was conceived so every human benefits from the age of AI.
World ID
As AI advances, we need a scalable, inclusive way to tell the difference between humans and bots. World ID is a simple, secure tool to prove you are a unique human without sharing your personal information.
You can use your verified World ID as a private, reusable “proof of human” to access things only humans should, like dating apps, video games, or social media communities. World ID is designed to be anonymous — no need to enter your name, birthdate, address, or any other identifying information to use it.
World ID is built on an open source, decentralized and permissionless protocol, which means no one owns it and everyone can build ways to connect and interact with it. The goal is for World ID to become an essential layer of trust for the Internet, empowering humans to thrive in the age of AI.
To verify your World ID, follow these three steps:
- Step 1: Download World App from the App Store or Google Play in countries where it is available.
- Step 2: Follow the prompts to find a World Space or Orb location where you can verify you are a real and unique human.
- Step 3: Access your verified World ID in World App and use it in a wide variety of everyday applications without revealing your identity.
More Orbs are being made available globally. Please continue to check World App regularly for updates on where you can find an Orb near you.
Proof of human verification powered by the Orb only involves one type of data: images of your eyes and face. It does not require your name, email, gender or anything else.
The iris images are used to verify unique humanness, while the images of your face are used for Face Auth, a security feature that ensures only the person who verified their World ID at an Orb can use it.
Here’s what happens, step by step, after you sign up for World App:
- The Orb takes high-resolution images of your irises and face.
- The Orb uses these images to confirm your humanness and converts the iris image into a unique code which is then split into randomized multi-party compute (MPC) fragments.
- The Orb sends the images and MPC fragments to your device (your personal custody package), before permanently deleting them.
- Your device sends the fragments to the AMPC service to confirm you have never verified before.
- Your World ID is verified.
Much of the process and code related to verifying unique humanness, including AMPC and what happens on the Orb, is open sourced for anyone to view and audit here.
No, you only need to verify your World ID at an Orb once.
To use your verified World ID, you simply open World App on your phone when an app or website asks you to prove you're human:
- If available, you'll see a "Sign in with World ID" option
- Tap it, and World App opens automatically on your mobile device; or, if you are on desktop, you’ll be prompted to show a QR code to World App
- Review the request and approve it with a simple tap
Some apps may request that you complete a Face Auth confirmation; this is an added security measure that happens locally on your phone to ensure only the person who was verified at the Orb can access the World ID on the device.
No. World ID is designed to be anonymous. When you use World ID, for instance, to prove you are a unique human with a third-party service, your World ID is not revealed to that third party. Through a cryptographic technology called zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), you only reveal that you have a valid World ID. Additionally, your World ID is not connected to your self-custodial World Wallet — both have separate cryptographic keys that serve different purposes.
Once verified, your World ID can be used across hundreds of applications and services that integrate with the World protocol. Whether you're looking to:
- Game with real humans
- Date real humans
- Shop with real humans
- Participate in verified polls with real humans
Each time, the process is the same: a simple, instant one-time proof generated through your phone.
World ID allows you to sign in and authenticate into web and mobile applications to anonymously prove that you are a unique human and not a bot or AI system. By signing in to apps and services using World ID, you do not need to disclose any personal information such as your name, phone number or email address. The application or service will only know you are a unique human; additionally, your actions are not trackable through World ID. Today, using World ID is available through integrations with Razer, Match Group, Okta Auth0, and others.
You can also claim certain products and services with World ID, particularly where a third party wants to ensure that the product or service is only claimed once per human. By using World ID, you are signaling that you are only claiming once and cannot claim multiple times.
Future uses: The World SDK is open source and available for anyone to build on World. Future uses will continue to emerge as more developers use World ID as a proof of human layer of authentication.
World ID Credentials allow an individual to add an encrypted copy of information from their government-issued identity document (starting with NFC-enabled passports and national IDs) as a credential under World ID to prove things about themselves without sharing the underlying information with any third party.
With an ID credential stored on their device, individuals can prove attributes — beyond that they are a real and unique human — without revealing any information from their ID or sharing more identity information than is needed. For example, a World ID holder could prove they meet an age requirement for a dating app without sharing their birthdate or their identity.
No. If you use your World ID, you never reveal the images or data processed at the Orb. World ID is designed to enable anonymous actions. Third parties cannot link different actions taken with someone’s World ID through World ID data. It is not connected to your self-custodial World Wallet. Anyone can use a verified World ID as their “proof of human” without providing information such as names, email addresses, phone numbers or social profiles.
World ID offers you unmatched control over your information, including Personal Custody.
“Personal Custody" means all information generated at the Orb when you verify your World ID (photos, metadata and derived data, including the unique code) is held only on your device. And neither World Foundation, Tools For Humanity nor any third-party company can decrypt the encrypted files when they are passing through their servers to arrive at your phone. The system has been designed to keep your data secure even in the case your phone gets compromised.
When a person uses their World ID, there are a number of privacy safeguards in place to ensure that the individual remains anonymous.
First, zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) prove that a person is a unique human without sharing personal information with the third party requesting the proof. ZKPs also protect the use of World ID from being tracked across applications or tied to any biometric data.
World ID uses an open source protocol known as Semaphore to ensure that World ID data itself cannot be tied to a person’s identity nor when they share their “proof of human” with other applications.
You can easily back up your account by selecting iCloud (iOS) or Google Drive (Android) backup within World App.
If you can't find the answers to your questions and are still having trouble with a specific issue, you can contact the Support Team through World App > Settings > Support > Contact Support. Leave as much detail as you can and provide screenshots to help describe your issue.
World ID is built on an open source, permissionless protocol that anyone can build or integrate with new or existing applications and online services. All the developer docs are freely available to the public. Importantly, zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) used when presenting your World ID prevent any third-party developers — including government applications — from knowing which World ID is yours or tracking an individual across applications.
World App
With World App, anyone can sign up for a verified World ID at an Orb and then use it to seamlessly verify actions with their World ID (such as signing in to websites, apps and services) without sharing personal data like names or email addresses. You can also access a network of Mini Apps with everyday World ID utility, from gaming, to finance and community.
World App’s self-custodial cryptocurrency wallet also gives people access to decentralized finance. Individuals can use it to save, send, deposit and withdraw cryptocurrencies. This is made possible in part through reputable services providers, like centralized exchanges and crypto payment processors who make World App available for their platforms.
World App is designed to be used by everyone.
World ID holders can enjoy gas-free transactions on World App with a user experience that emphasizes simplicity and is intuitive for those who may never have engaged with crypto. Instead of including every advanced crypto functionality, World App keeps its UX approachable and intuitive for every human by showing users only the parts of the Ethereum and World ecosystems that are likely to be most helpful in their everyday lives.
You can also access a network of Mini Apps with everyday World ID utility, from gaming, to finance and community.
At around 18MB, the native iOS and Android apps are significantly smaller than the industry average. To maximize inclusivity, they’re localized to multiple languages and support most active smartphones in the world (98.2% of Androids and 94.5% of iPhones), including some more than 10 years old.
World App leverages the composability of Ethereum, via the Optimism mainnet, to mix and match some of the best, most trusted open protocols and APIs into a single, easy-to-use app.
For example, World wallets use account abstraction through Safe contracts to increase security and enable gasless transactions. ENS usernames support friendly and easy peer-to-peer payments. Where available, swapping WBTC and WETH for a bridged version of Circle's USDC via the Uniswap protocol will enable users around the world to have always-on access to a fully-backed digital dollar. Frictionless fiat-to-crypto and crypto-to-fiat exchange in many countries is provided by licensed or registered partners around the world, including Ramp Network and Stripe.
Download World App and find a World Space near you. World App is currently available in 150+ countries around the world.
Live support is available within Settings > Support of World App. In case you are having trouble accessing the Settings tab, simply shake your device a few times and then select Report a Problem. You can also visit the World App Help Center at any time to find answers to commonly asked questions.
The Orb
The Orb is a secure, open-source device that verifies you are a unique human without needing any personal information about you. The Orb confirms you are a unique human by photographing your face and eyes (these images are deleted by default once the Orb sends them to your device) in order to verify your World ID. This is a necessary and integral part of the process to ensure no one signs up for an Orb-verified World ID more than once.
Additional information about the Orb can be found on the blog here.
The Orb is used to verify a person’s humanness and uniqueness as part of the World protocol. It does this by first ensuring the individual standing in front of it is a human. Then photos of the eyes are abstracted and permanently encrypted into anonymous fragments that independent parties process to determine that the person is unique. Subsequently, all photos and photo derivatives are packaged, encrypted and “signed” by the Orb to ensure authenticity and security, then sent to the individual’s phone through the Orb backend server (importantly the backend cannot decrypt the data). All photos are then deleted from the Orb. To prioritize privacy, all of the humanness verification occurs on the Orb itself without sending data to the Orb backend.
Anyone can verify their humanness at an Orb without providing information such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, social profiles, etc.
Not all markers of humanness are the same, and their utility can vary widely based on things like entropy and reliability at scale. Iris biometrics are also particularly well-suited to the project because of their privacy preserving nature. Specifically, because irises have more random unique details than fingerprints and faces and are less susceptible to change based on external factors, iris biometrics were identified as the most privacy-preserving and fraud-resistant way to verify personhood and uniqueness. Further, it is much easier to steal and fake someone’s fingerprint than it is to steal someone’s iris pattern.
No. The Orb only takes a photograph of a user’s face and eyes. In addition, the Orb complies with the specifications set forth in international standards which also includes eye safety (IEC-62741).
The technology the Orb uses to verify uniqueness and humanness is open to the public for review and input. World (including World Foundation) will continue working to ensure safety and privacy are at the center of all advancements.
Orbs are available globally. Download World App or search for your nearest Orb here.
No data from your World ID verification is stored on the Orb.
World is private by design and built on a robust, uncompromising privacy program to provide verified humans access to goods and services through the use of privacy-preserving humanness attestations. All photos and photo derivatives are packaged, encrypted and signed by the Orb to ensure authenticity and security, then sent to the user’s phone through the Orb backend server (importantly the backend cannot decrypt the data). All photos are then deleted from the Orb.
No. The Orb takes photos of a person's face and eyes to ensure humanness and uniqueness. These photos are not stored on the Orb but sent to the user’s device.
All that remains is a persistently encrypted and fragmented abstraction of the photos of the eyes that is not linked to an individual’s wallet or World App account (read more about AMPC in the blog post).
The Orb is equipped with a powerful computing unit able to run several neural networks concurrently in real-time. This enables it to validate a person’s humanness locally on the device without needing to process unencrypted photos on the Orb backend.
Subsequently, all photos and photo derivatives are packaged, encrypted and signed by the Orb to ensure authenticity and security, then sent to the user’s phone through the Orb backend server (importantly the backend cannot decrypt the data). All photos are then deleted from the Orb.
Similarly, no iris information is retained by World Foundation or Tools For Humanity. Instead the iris photo is abstracted into a numerical code (read more about this in the technical implementation documentation) which is then further cryptographically sharded into randomized fragments (read more about this on our blogpost on AMPC). Randomized means that even with the same iris as input, the fragments as output will be different each time. Thereby, the fragments are fully anonymized as they do not reveal any information by itself. But we do not even stop there. Different portions of the fragments are then stored by separate, independent parties that enjoy public trust (i.e. public universities). This ensures that the fragments are never recombined.
In line with World’s commitment to privacy protection, the Orb has advanced security features to prevent spoofing, tampering or hacking.
Each Orb is provisioned with a private key, which is stored in secure hardware, that authenticates the Orb and signs important messages. Fraud prevention algorithms based on multispectral sensors run locally on the device for maximum privacy. Additionally, a whitehat hacker team supporting World is continuously testing the device and several teams are working to further increase the security of the Orb every day.
Yes. World is committed to open sourcing as much of its technology as possible and full decentralization of the network. This is done not only for transparency and security, but to enable other teams that want to build devices for World in the future.
As an important step, all relevant hardware-related engineering files for the Orb’s current version have been released in a GitHub repository. You can download Eagle (PCBs) to view the files and use Autodesk’s CAD viewers for free.
All files are published under the World Network Responsible Use License, which is based on the MIT Open Source License and inspired by Uniswap’s BSL and Electric Coin Co.’s BOSL. The license balances transparency and decentralization while preventing capture and reducing the risk that World technology could be used in harmful ways. The firmware will also, whenever possible without compromising security, be open sourced or released under the Responsible Use License in the future.
No. In countries where World App is available, it is free to use and does not require a verified World ID.
Yes. World Operators have worked via both in-app and in-person attestations to ensure that only adults have access to World. This means that individuals need to be at least 18+ of age or older to meet the respective threshold for majority in their country.
World operations
Orbs are available in a growing number of countries. Download World App or search for your nearest Orb here.
World Operators operate Orbs in their communities, and can earn WLD tokens by introducing World and helping people verify their World ID via the Orb. Operators are not employees of World, World Foundation or Tools for Humanity. They run their operations independently while being expected to follow a strict Code of Conduct that emphasizes complying with laws and protecting the public.
Learn more about World Operators
World Operator teams may be seen in places you frequent. These individuals facilitate the World ID verification process by helping users download World App, assisting in account set up, verifying individuals for uniqueness via the Orb and providing educational resources. World also provides 24/7 support to users through an online help center and live customer support agents via World App (Settings > Support > Contact Support).
Community Operators manage self-serve Orbs in their communities so that everyone can benefit from World. Community Operators operate individually without any formal locations, whereas World Operators may have several locations and teams.
World is for every human. The network was created to give everyone access to the global economy and it operates in a wide range of countries across five continents. Such diversity is important because, in order to equally serve as many people as possible, the technology must be able to work even in remote and often underserved locations.
Data Privacy & Compliance
Neither World, World Foundation nor Tools for Humanity store any personal data from individuals’ Orb verification. The photos taken by the Orb are encrypted, sent to the individual’s device and immediately deleted from the Orb.
No. World Foundation and Tools for Humanity have not and never will share any Orb verification data (including iris data) with anyone. Read more about World’s commitments to privacy in the Privacy Notice.
No. World Foundation and Tools for Humanity never have and never will sell any personal data (including biometric data). Read more about World’s approach to data collection, handling and privacy in the Privacy Notice.
You can delete your profile data and World App account at any time. To do so, navigate to Settings > Security & Privacy. Keep in mind that deleting your account is a permanent action and you will not be able to recover the deleted information.
Yes. Any personal data shared with World is encrypted in transit and at rest. Read more about approaches to data collection, handling and privacy in the Privacy Notice.
Personal data used to verify your humanness stays on your device. If you would like, you can share that information with Tools for Humanity to improve World’s proof of human technology so it works accurately for everyone; however, this is not required and is reversible.
For more information on how to opt-in for data training, check out this step-by-step guide on how to turn on the feature in World App.
Before Orb verifications are conducted in any country, local legal counsel is engaged to review World and provide advice. The review is comprehensive, covering data protection and cryptocurrency regulations, among other topics like labor, hardware certifications, marketing and consumer protection. This information is used to tailor verification operations to local laws.
World Foundation and Tools for Humanity (TFH) are committed to working with regulatory bodies globally to ensure that World continues to meet regulatory requirements and that the public is provided a safe, secure and transparent service.
As part of this commitment, TFH engages deeply with local laws well before the first Orb arrives in a country, working closely with elected officials, third parties and relevant associations to ensure full visibility into World, World Foundation and TFH.
Neither World nor Tools For Humanity store any personal data from the Orb verification. By default, data is only stored on the user’s device.
World is fully compliant with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and designed for compliance with all laws and regulations governing biometric data collection and data transfer in the countries where it is available. Biometric data is never collected from any user without that user’s explicit consent. World’s Biometric Data Consent Form clearly describes its purposes in this area. Further, minors are not allowed to participate in the project. More details can be found in World Terms of Use.
In the European Union, Tools for Humanity and World Foundation are under the supervision of the Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision (Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutz). Read more about the approach to data collection, handling and privacy in the Privacy Notice and the blog.
No, World is not a Virtual Asset Service Provider (“VASP”) or another similar classification. When an individual downloads World App and creates an account, they are provided with a self-custodial cryptocurrency wallet. As a self-custodial wallet provider, Tools for Humanity does not hold custody of any crypto assets or funds and does not provide exchange services.
Additional privacy resources can be found at the following links:
A more comprehensive understanding of all aspects of World can be found in the Whitepaper.
Other
Yes. World App is available in the United States. People in the United States (with the exception of the State of New York) can verify their World ID, access the full World App experience, and choose to claim WLD.
World is a decentralized, open source protocol supported by a global community of developers, economists and technologists committed to building the real human network. World offers universal proof of human, finance and connection for every human.
World Foundation (Foundation), for its part, is the initial steward of the protocol. Its mandate is to support and grow World to self-sufficiency. It does this by facilitating decentralization over time, consistent with the mission and commitments of World. In practical terms, the Foundation may contribute by defining protocol governance, token mechanisms, grant programs, community affairs and more. The Foundation provides direction for the services Tools for Humanity performs in relation to the protocol.
Tools for Humanity (TFH) is a technology company building for humans in the age of AI, with its headquarters in San Francisco and Munich, and a wholly-owned subsidiary in Bavaria, Germany. TFH took the initial steps toward developing the protocol and supported its multi-year beta testing phase. It then transitioned the protocol to the independent World Foundation prior to the protocol’s launch in late July 2023. TFH will continue to develop important tools supporting World and beyond.
Today, TFH provides services to World Foundation. Those services include, for example, software development, hardware manufacturing and market operations logistical support. TFH is governed entirely separately from World Foundation.
World is built on the Ethereum blockchain utilizing both layer 1 and layer 2 technologies for efficiency. On September 15, 2022 the Ethereum blockchain underwent “the merge,” a transition that reduced the energy used in operating the Ethereum blockchain by more than 99.95% overnight. For more information on the merge, please see Ethereum’s blog.
Because World is an open source protocol, it is supported by a global community of developers, individuals, economists and technologists. Anyone can use their skills to contribute to World, by engaging on World GitHub, building a Mini App, becoming a World Operator or Community Operator, or pursuing a grant from World Foundation. Individuals interested in specifically working at World Foundation or joining Tools for Humanity should visit the careers page for information regarding open positions.