Human ID project ‘Worldcoin’ launches gas-free wallet only for humans

The wallet relies on “World ID,” a protocol that verifies humanness through zero-knowledge proofs.

Worldcoin, a project to identify humans and distinguish them from artificial intelligence, has launched a gas-free crypto wallet for verified humans, according to a May 8 announcement. 

The new wallet, called “World App,” works on Android and iOS operating systems. It currently runs on the Polygon (MATIC) network, allowing users to hold and transfer United States Dollar Coin (USDC), Dai (DAI), Ether (ETH), Worldcoin (WDC) and Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC).

World App uses the project’s “World ID” system to discriminate between humans and bots. Users who want to take advantage of gas-free transfers must first register for a World ID by supplying a phone number or iris scan. Developers say the project doesn’t store users’ data. Instead, it generates a zero-knowledge proof to verify the user is human, but without revealing the data used to generate the proof.

Even users who don’t have a World ID can still use the app, but they can’t take advantage of the feeless transactions. The announcement said the app relies on account abstraction to allow for third-party gas payment.

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The project has partnered with regulated crypto exchanges, including Moonpay and Ramp, to offer onboarding and offboarding within the wallet. Once coins are held in the wallet, they can be swapped through built-in Uniswap integration. Users can also connect their phone numbers to the app to send and receive crypto through phone contacts.

In a conversation with Cointelegraph, Worldcoin Core team member Tiago Sada stated that the wallet was created to offer a simple option for inexperienced crypto users.

“When we first started, we actually just went out with normal wallets, the wallets a power user like me would use day-to-day, and it turns out those were too overwhelming for normal people. There were too many options, too many things to do, [it was] not super clear,” he said. “We’re launching [World App] as a product so that there is this alternative wallet that is focused just on simplicity.”

Worldcoin was co-founded by Sam Altman, who also co-founded ChatGPT developer OpenAI.