Worldcoin just officially launched. Here's why it's already being investigated.

It's a project that claims to use cryptocurrency to distribute money across the world, though its bigger ambition is to create a global identity system called "World ID" that relies on individuals' unique biometric data to prove that they are humans. It officially launched on July 24 in more than 20 countries, and Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and one of the biggest tech celebrities right now, is one of the cofounders of the project. The company makes big, idealistic promises: that it can deliver a form of universal basic income through technology to make the world a better and more equitable place, while offering a way to verify your humanity in a digital future filled with nonhuman intelligence, which it calls "proof of personhood." If you're thinking this sounds like a potential privacy nightmare, you're not alone. Luckily, we have someone I'd consider the Worldcoin expert on staff here at MIT Technology Review.