Ethereum Founder Raises Concerns Over Sam Altman’s Worldcoin
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is voicing deep concerns over the future of online privacy as Worldcoin, the digital ID project backed by Sam Altman, continues to expand globally.
In a new essay published today, Buterin critiques the model behind Worldcoin, which is built on verifying individuals through biometric data, namely eye scans. The project claims over 13 million unique verifications so far, using devices called “Orbs” to scan irises and issue World IDs along with WLD tokens. Although Worldcoin says it uses zero-knowledge proofs (ZK) to protect user data, Buterin warns that the system’s very architecture—built around a single, persistent identity—could severely undermine anonymity on the internet.
He points out that even privacy-preserving technologies like ZK can’t fully mitigate the risk of consolidating one’s entire digital footprint under a single identifier. This, he argues, could strip users of the ability to operate multiple online personas—a freedom that has long been part of internet culture and is essential for privacy, safety, and freedom of expression.
The Ethereum creator also noted that similar ID models are already being embraced in places like the European Union and Taiwan, a trend he sees as accelerating worldwide. While these tools may help combat spam, fake accounts, and bot manipulation, Buterin emphasized the danger in standardizing identity in such a rigid, singular way.
Meanwhile, Worldcoin continues to move ahead. The project is expanding its presence in the U.S., testing integrations with platforms like Tinder in Japan, and even preparing to launch a Visa card linked to user identities.
Buterin’s main proposal is a shift away from one-size-fits-all solutions. He advocates for a more decentralized, pluralistic approach—where users can maintain different identities across platforms, verified by a variety of institutions rather than a central authority.
Alex is Editor-in-Chief of Coindoo and co-founder of Millennial Media Group, with nearly a decade of experience covering financial markets - crypto first, then everything else. It started in 2016 with Bitcoin. Like most people at the time, he didn't fully understand it - so he kept digging. Blockchain, tokenomics, the projects, the cycles. That curiosity never stopped, and eventually pulled him into traditional markets too: equities, commodities, macro. Not because he left crypto behind, but because you can't properly understand one without the other. What drives him is straightforward: he wants to know why something is happening, not just that it's happening. Most market coverage stops at the headline - price up, price down, here's a chart. Alex finds that kind of reporting actively unhelpful. If you walk away from an article without understanding the mechanism behind the move, what did you actually learn? He holds a degree in Tourism from New Bulgarian University - not the most obvious path into financial markets, but markets have a way of pulling in people who are simply too curious to stay out. He has authored over 200 in-depth analyses and more than 10,000 articles across crypto and traditional finance. He still thinks every day in markets teaches him something new. That's probably why he hasn't stopped.
