Sam Altman, the man behind ChatGPT, now wants to scan your irises. His “World Project,” previously called “Worldcoin,” touts a new decentralized digital identity infrastructure. Sounds utopian, right? Today we live in a world without identity theft, instant online transactions, and a secure guaranteed universal basic income. But before we all form a single file queue to get our irises scanned, let’s slow our roll. This doesn’t smell like salvation, it smells like a high-tech panopticon.

Your Iris Isn't Just Your Iris

The contention that the Orb doesn’t save your real iris photograph is… hopeful, at best. They claim it creates a “secure, encrypted code.” Encryption only buys you time if someone has the will and resources. Imagine it as the Maginot Line – awe inspiring in theory, completely crumbling when the opposition simply flanks you. As history reminds us, no system is foolproof for all time. It is only a matter of time before the code is broken. What occurs when, not if, that encrypted code is eventually broken? Your biometric data, perfectly unique and nonreplicable, is on the street.

Let's be honest, the idea that this data won't be used for more than just identity verification is naive. Today it’s access to universal basic income, tomorrow it’s… who knows? Is it access to healthcare? Lower insurance premiums? Or perhaps, preferably, favoritism from AIs that are designed to recognize and reward you as a “verified” human.

Decentralization Doesn't Equal Trust

They tout a "decentralized identity" using blockchain. Blockchain is awesome, decentralization is the new black, but those things don’t make bad actors act ethically. Enron was cutting-edge in its day, too. The purported benefit of decentralization is that there’s no one organization who has full control over your data. But who owns the access to that supposedly decentralized data? Who writes the algorithms that interpret it?

Think about it this way: A decentralized ledger is just that – a ledger. It is like a public record. It doesn't erase bias. It doesn't prevent abuse. It simply makes it more transparent. If the underlying system is bad, decentralizing that system only decouples it and makes the bad outcome more apparent—not less damaging. It’s the equivalent of shining a laser pointer directly on a rotting sore.

Six US Cities Are the Guinea Pigs

Now, let’s focus on those six US cities where this is already rolling out. Adult egrets and ibises aren’t named, but it is coming to the US. Are these cities chosen at random? Or are they communities of color swiftly gentrified by leaders enabling the war on cars that will be the proving ground for this technology? We need transparency. The local impact here could be huge. Will there be adequate oversight? What avenues will we have for recourse if it all goes wrong? Or will these communities be left holding the bag, their biometric data abandoned to the digital ether?

This brings me back to the early years of social media. At the time, the promise of connection and community was more appealing than the threat of manipulation and division. We were all so excited about the technology that we didn’t want to ask the tough questions. Are we in danger of repeating that same mistake once more?

Black Mirror Isn't Just Entertainment

That “Black Mirror” comparison is more than a clickbait headline. It's a stark warning. Dystopian fiction feeds off predictions, taking real-world trends and events and stretching them forward to their logical, sometimes frightening, conclusions. The direction of more intrusive technology is the opposite trend. Together with the erosion of privacy, that sets up a perfect breeding ground for dystopian nightmares.

Recall the Black Mirror episode in which social credit scores decided everything from where a person lived to where they worked. Or the one where everyone was perpetually scored and critiqued based on their virtual behavior. These aren't just stories. They're cautionary tales. Each move toward Sam Altman’s eye-scanning project is another step in that direction.

The Price of "Free" is Always Higher

The ultimate fear? Despite its utilitarian purpose, this project has been promoted by some as a way to deliver universal basic income. Who doesn’t want free money? What does it mean when access to something as fundamental as food is linked to your biometric data? What do we do when your ability to engage fully in the world around you is conditional on you agreeing to give up all of your privacy?

This is a classic Faustian bargain. A shiny new technology offered in exchange for something far more valuable: your autonomy. That same Irish legend about the pot of leprechaun gold at the end of the rainbow is just that—an illusion! Looks good and golden, but every time it turns to sand in your palm. And in this case, the dust may very well be your privacy’s ashes.

Are we truly this desperate that we are willing to sell our eyeballs out for a few digital dimes? I think not.