WORLDCOIN-FOUNDATION
15.5.2024 15:03:34 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
The Worldcoin Foundation today announced it launched and is open sourcing a novel secure multi-party computation (SMPC) system. The system, available now in a GitHub repository for any organization to use, aims to set a new standard for data protection, including the protection of biometric data. The Worldcoin Foundation also announced that, after the migration of iris codes to the new SMPC system, the previous uniqueness-checking system, including iris codes, was securely deleted.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240515285506/en/
Worldcoin Foundation Launches, Open Sources "Perfect Secrecy" SMPC System to Help Organizations Strengthen Biometric Data Security Protections (Graphic: Business Wire)
Biometric authentication use increases as data breach frequency and impact rise
Organizations in the private and public sector increasingly require and use consumers’ biometric data for everyday services and activities, from building access and airport security to logging into healthcare and financial services apps. Underscoring the increase, a Fortune Business Insights report projected the global biometric system market size to reach $76.70 billion USD in 2029, 2.5x its total of $30.77 billion in 2022.
Meanwhile, research from MIT Professor Stuart Madnick indicates a 20% increase in data breaches from 2022 to 2023 while globally the number of victims of such breaches doubled over the same time period.
The convergence of these trends suggests a need to further advance data protection technologies. While Worldcoin is neither an authentication nor an identification use case for biometrics (the Worldcoin Foundation does not know the identity of their users), the Foundation’s new open source SMPC system can serve as a building block to set a new standard in biometric data security.
Worldcoin Foundation’s SMPC system
SMPC has been lauded by privacy and security experts alike. It can be thought of as taking one secret and sharing it in multiple parts across different parties for increased protection. Importantly, none of the individual parts alone say anything about the original secret, thus making it impossible for any individual party to decrypt the secret.
This SMPC approach demonstrates perfect information-theoretic security, meaning it is effective even against quantum-computing. SMPC systems have generally been too resource-intensive to be effectively used for large complex computations. This is why, despite their impressive privacy protective qualities, they have not yet seen extensive use in biometric template protection.
The Worldcoin Foundation, along with contributor-technologists from TACEO and Tools for Humanity, have successfully architected a new implementation of SMPC to address the scale and cost constraints that have previously hindered others. The new SMPC system, which encrypts iris codes into secret shares held by multiple parties, enabled the Worldcoin Foundation to permanently delete iris codes generated through its previous uniqueness-checking system.
“The community supporting Worldcoin will never stop developing, testing and deploying the most advanced technologies focusing on security, privacy and data protection as it works to improve trust online and increase access to the global economy,” said Jannick Preiwisch, Data Protection Officer of the Worldcoin Foundation. “Implementation of the new SMPC system enabled the Worldcoin Foundation to delete old iris codes by permanently encrypting them to SMPC shares that by themselves cannot be related to an identified person. The development of this new system demonstrates an unparalleled commitment to further compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation and other data protection regimes across the world. It also complements advancements aimed at providing consumers increased choice and control over their data including personal custody and the ability to unverify their World IDs.”
About the Worldcoin Foundation
The Worldcoin Foundation, a steward of the Worldcoin protocol, aims to realize more inclusive, fair and just institutions of governance and of the global digital economy.
About the Worldcoin Protocol
The Worldcoin protocol is intended to be the world’s largest, most inclusive identity and financial public utility and to be accessible by everyone. Worldcoin was originally conceived by Sam Altman, Alex Blania and Max Novendstern. The Worldcoin protocol is designed to empower individuals and organizations around the world with the tools they need to participate in the digital economy and advance humanity's progress. Find out more about Worldcoin at www.worldcoin.org, on Twitter/X, Discord, YouTube and Telegram.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240515285506/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Svante and Integrated Packaging Company Advance U.S. Biogenic CDR Project to Feasibility10.3.2026 14:57:00 CET | Press release
The bioenergy with carbon capture (BECCS) project aims to remove more than 500,000 tonnes per year of biogenic CO2 emissions from a U.S. paper mill’s recovery boiler Svante Development Inc. is co-investing to advance the project The project will generate high-quality carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits to market to Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) buyers. Svante Technologies Inc. (“Svante”) announced today that its bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) project at a paper mill in the Southeast U.S. has progressed to the feasibility study phase. The project is being developed in partnership with an integrated sustainable packaging company, following an extensive screening and pre-feasibility study conducted across several of the partner’s mills. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260310319382/en/ During the feasibility study phase, the companies will complete further engineering and design activities, cos
Forbes 40th Annual World’s Billionaires List10.3.2026 14:43:00 CET | Press release
Elon Musk Is World’s Richest Person Ever Recorded Forbes releases its 40th-annual World’s Billionaireslist, the definitive ranking of the planet’s richest people. Wealth surged to unprecedented levels over the past year, with fortunes climbing at a record pace. This year’s list features 3,428 billionaires, the most since the list’s inception in 1987. The world’s wealthiest people are worth a record $20.1 trillion combined, up from $16.1 trillion in 2025. Elon Musktops the Billionaires list for the second year in a row and is the richest person ever recorded, worth an estimated $839 billion. His net worth skyrocketed by half of a trillion dollars from last year, thanks to a rise in the value of Tesla, and SpaceX which is aiming to go public in 2026. Musk is the first person ever recorded to reach the $800 billion mark, as he moves toward becoming the world’s first trillionaire. “It’s the year of the billionaire,” said Chase Peterson-Withorn, Forbes Senior Editor, Wealth. “The planet add
Adtran sets intra-data center benchmark with all-new ultra-low-power LiteWave800™ LPO module10.3.2026 14:00:00 CET | Press release
News summary: AI clusters and GPU fabrics demand massive capacity, yet traditional 800G optics increase energy consumption, heat and cost burdens Adtran’s LiteWave800™ introduces a new class of ultra-low-power, low-latency DR8 LPO modules built on a fully re-engineered design Breakthrough energy efficiency of 1pJ/bit enables greener, scalable intra-data center links for next-generation AI and cloud workloads Adtran today launched LiteWave800™, an ultra‑low‑power 800Gbit/s DR8 linear pluggable optics (LPO) module engineered to help data centers address the power, latency, thermal and bandwidth demands of modern AI and machine-learning (ML) workloads. As GPU clusters grow and short-reach links scale across dense server racks, operators need 800Gbit/s optics that deliver higher capacity within strict power and cooling limits. LiteWave800™ answers this challenge with a fully re-engineered architecture that significantly reduces energy consumption. Operating at just 1pJ/bit and consuming on
Hyperice Introduces Hypervolt 3 Line: More Powerful, Quieter, and Longer-Lasting Percussion Massage Devices10.3.2026 14:00:00 CET | Press release
Upgraded Line Includes Redesigned Head Attachments and New Carry Case for an Enhanced Warm-Up and Recovery Experience Hyperice, a high-performance wellness brand, today announced the global launch of the Hypervolt 3 line, its most advanced percussion massage technology to date. The three-device line features the Hypervolt Go 3 ($149), the Hypervolt 3 ($249), and the Hypervolt 3 Pro ($349) — achieving significant performance upgrades across the board at more accessible price points than industry competitors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260310934508/en/ The Hypervolt 3 line enables users to massage away stress and tension, loosen muscle knots, maintain flexibility and range of motion, accelerate warm-up before workouts, and recover quickly after activity. Hyperice has built its reputation over the last 15 years on one guiding principle: elite-level recovery technology designed to help everyone perform and mo
Verifone and Thales Unlock Seamless Global Connectivity for Payment Terminals10.3.2026 14:00:00 CET | Press release
Thales today announced a partnership with Verifone, a global leader in payment terminal solutions, to connect Verifone’s next-generation point-of-sale (POS) terminals using Thales eSIM technology. The collaboration aims to simplify device deployment and enable secure, flexible connectivity for payment terminals worldwide; as connectivity can be provisioned, managed and updated remotely throughout the device lifecycle. By using Thales eSIM management platform, Verifone removes the need for removable SIM cards and country-specific hardware versions, significantly reducing operational complexity for manufacturers and service providers alike. At the core of this partnership is Thales’s leadership in eSIM management for large-scale connected devices, enabling remote connectivity provisioning and management, in line with the latest GSMA SGP.32 IoT specifications. These standards support secure and interoperable management of connectivity profiles, making it possible to deploy devices globall
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom