Worldcoin launches in Singapore following India pause

Worldcoin has launched identity verification services for residents of Singapore after a scaling back of operations in India.

In a Dec. 27 blog post, Worldcoin said the project’s iris-scanning orbs were available to individuals in Singapore at five locations. Though the platform said its services were “steadily increasing in countries,” the Singapore announcement followed a temporary pause of scans for India residents.

Worldcoin’s website showed verification locations were available in 11 countries, including the United States, at the time of publication. Authorities in certain jurisdictions, including Kenya, suspended the project over privacy concerns.

The identity verification started in 2021, with more than two million people signing up before the official launch in July 2023. According to Worldcoin, more than five million people have created accounts using their identity at the time of publication — roughly 0.06% of the world’s population.

Sam Altman, the creator of Worldcoin and co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, was briefly forced out of his position at the artificial intelligence research firm in November. His dismissal prompted colleagues at OpenAI to resign in protest, leading to Altman’s reinstatement 12 days later.

Main, News