Ireland. Endless green landscapes, welcoming smiles everywhere, and a history rich in the spirit of perseverance. I feel like there’s a cold wind blowing. It casts a dark shadow bringing with it a fearful shivering dread that goes deeper than the usual harsh Atlantic storms. It’s the phantasm of Worldcoin, and its Orb, hovering over our data privacy pursuits like a digital banshee.

We're being offered a handful of cryptocurrency in exchange for something far more valuable: our biometric data. Our irises. Think about that for a second. Your iris pattern is equally as unique as your fingerprint, a biological key to your very identity. Handing that over to a company feels like you’re selling your soul for a pot of digital gold. Their assurances of “privacy by design” sound hollow, particularly when that bounty could disappear overnight.

It’s not even the short-term privacy issues. This isn't some theoretical risk. Imagine a future where you can’t rent housing or open a bank account without your World ID. Banking, healthcare, and yes, even voting all rely on it! Suddenly, that "free" crypto comes with a hefty price tag: complete dependence on a system controlled by a private entity. It’s the global digital equivalent of the Enclosure Acts, in which land held in common was no longer accessible to people, driving them into wage labor. Only this time, it’s our very souls that are being put behind fences.

Silicon Valley would have us “disrupt,” “innovate,” and otherwise solve problems we never realized we needed to address. Worldcoin is all about that UBI, crypto style. This approach represents the peak of tech solutionism, exposing the dangerous delusion that technology can save us from the thorniest social and economic problems.

UBI is about much more than giving money away. It isn’t just a moral issue, it’s all about dignity. We inspire individuals to be active participants in their communities, which builds a multigenerational safety net that nurtures both innovation and risk-taking. Can a digital currency, personally managed by a firm whose profitability depends on the aggregation of biometric data, actually fulfill that potential? I seriously doubt it. To me it feels like a Trojan horse. This shiny object keeps us from addressing the deeper power dynamics that the shiny object creates.

And that “solution” is the one being promoted most aggressively in the developing world. Is this digital colonialism? Providing financial compensation to groups more likely to be uninformed regarding the long-term effects of surrendering their biometric information? It's unsettling, to say the least.

The issue isn’t really the technology, but the trust that it would take to operate the tech. We would have to trust Worldcoin to ensure that our data was secure. We want the system to be equitable and the cryptocurrency to be stable in value.

Trust is a fragile thing. It's earned, not given. And honestly, the history of Big Tech on how they handle our data isn’t great. Remember Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal? Recollect the numerous high-profile data breaches that have put hundreds of millions of Americans’ personal identifiable information at risk.

We’re daily fed horror stories of corporations abusing our data, of governments surveiling their populations. What makes us think that Worldcoin will be any different? So, if that trust is violated, the subsequent fallout could be dire. Now, picture a catastrophic data breach that exposes the biometric data of tens of millions of Americans. Now multiply that risk by identity theft, surveillance, and discrimination.

An Irish Wake is much more than a mourning of death, it’s a celebration of life, a remembrance and acknowledgement of the beauty and gift of life. It's also a time to reflect on our own mortality, to appreciate the present moment, and to make sure we're living our lives to the fullest.

This is what Worldcoin should be a wake-up call for our data privacy world. Even more, it provides a piercing reminder of the dangers we face in our ever-connected society. It's a wake-up call. This is why we must fight, to question the hard questions, to demand transparency, to safeguard our basic civil liberties.

  • Equifax: 147 million people affected.
  • Yahoo: 3 billion accounts affected.
  • Marriott: 500 million guests affected.

Don’t let the promise of “free” cryptocurrency distract you from the pitfalls crypto can bring. Do your research. Talk to your friends and family. And above all else, be skeptical and consider carefully what you are losing for a handful of shiny new digital tokens. Our future depends on it. Because if we don't, we might just find ourselves living in a world where our irises are no longer our own. And that’s a future I, for one, don’t want to see.

The Irish Wake? A Call To Action

An Irish Wake is a celebration of life, a time to remember and honor those who have passed. But it's also a time to reflect on our own mortality, to appreciate the present moment, and to make sure we're living our lives to the fullest.

Worldcoin feels like a wake for our data privacy, a somber reminder of the risks we face in an increasingly digital world. It's a wake-up call. We need to ask tough questions, to demand transparency, to protect our fundamental rights.

Don't let the allure of "free" crypto blind you to the potential dangers. Do your research. Talk to your friends and family. And most importantly, think critically about what you're giving up in exchange for a few digital coins. Our future depends on it. Because if we don't, we might just find ourselves living in a world where our irises are no longer our own. And that's a future I, for one, don't want to see.