What is Worldcoin and what does scanning the iris involve?
04/03/2024Worldcoin was introduced in summer of 2023 as a revolutionary project with the mission of creating a 100% secure digital identity, essentially a kind of fortified "digital passport," based on the verification of a unique and non-transferable element inherent to each human being—the iris. According to its developers, World ID will help distinguish human online activity from that generated by machines. In the first phase of the project, the creation of this secure digital identity is planned for 2 billion humans. To make this possible, Worldcoin has called on the global population to scan their iris. In return, Worldcoin compensates participants with a few tokens of its successful cryptocurrency, WLD, which has quadrupled in value within a few weeks of its initial launch. The payment in WLD tokens is not coincidental; it is part of Worldcoin's strategy, aiming to leverage the new digital passports to create a comprehensive ecosystem that provides universal and equitable access to advanced financial services for the entire global population. To achieve this, they encourage "iris sellers" to use the Worldcoin cryptocurrency on its fee-free blockchain, unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other cryptocurrencies that do charge transaction fees. How does Worldcoin work? Worldcoin aims to address the issues of bots, rapid creation of fake identities, and content with artificial intelligence. It is designed, according to its developers, to provide every individual in the world with a unique digital identification. Additionally, Worldcoin promises to ensure the financial inclusion of each person in a fair and equitable ecosystem through a universal basic income. Users receive this income in exchange for allowing their iris to be scanned. To create the secure digital passport with Worldcoin, users must undergo an iris scan, which serves as proof of humanity and a unique identity on the blockchain. This process ensures that the individual on the other side of that identity is a human and not a fake profile created with artificial intelligence. In pursuit of the success of their proposal, the company offers users a small amount of their own Worldcoin tokens in exchange for iris scanning. The initial incentive of receiving free cryptocurrency, in the form of a universal basic income, is emphasized by Worldcoin advocates as the basis for the inclusive and universal nature of their initiative. This approach allows anyone to scan their iris, and the WLD tokens received in return can assist people without access to traditional financial services in starting to save and invest. How to Scan the Iris with Worldcoin? The registration process with Worldcoin involves scanning the iris with an orb, the central hardware device of Worldcoin developed by Tools for Humanity. The orb is spherical and processes all the information. Currently, Worldcoin has installed orbs in different countries, including Spain, where users can scan their iris in exchange for Worldcoins. To do this, it is necessary to download the Worldcoin mobile application, World ID, generate a QR code with it, and display it in front of the orb. The orb, upon recognizing it, will scan the user's iris, while a Worldcoin collaborator remotely oversees the operation. The orb takes less than a minute to perform the scan and validate the subject's identity. In exchange for their iris, the user receives a unique number called "IrisHash" and a cryptographic wallet with Worldcoins. "This digital passport is accepted as proof of unique humanity, which people can use in the digital world without the need to share any other data," assure its developers. What happens with my scanned iris in exchange for Worldcoins? Once the iris scan is completed, and digital identity is granted to the user, Worldcoin assures that the orb quickly eliminates the images unless the user requests their preservation. Only the set of numbers called "IrisHash" is stored for identification, without any additional biometric data. Worldcoin also commits to ensuring that users share only the necessary information they wish to share, providing verification options through linked devices or the additional facial authentication orb for high-security cases. Despite these commitments, the collection of biometric data through iris scanning for the unique proof of humanity continues to raise significant questions regarding privacy and information security. Some countries such as Brazil, France, India, or Kenya have halted Worldcoin's iris scanning. How much do you get paid for scanning your iris? Worldcoin pays 25 WLD for scanning your iris, which, according to the cryptocurrency's exchange rate in February 2024, has translated to an average of between 50 and almost €160 for iris sellers, depending on the value of Worldcoin on the day they scanned their iris. At the beginning of February, the value of each WLD unit was around two euros, and by the end of the month, it had risen to nearly seven euros. What can I spend my WLD on? 'Iris sellers' have the freedom to use their Worldcoins from the moment they receive them. They can exchange the payment for other cryptocurrencies, withdraw them in euros from a specialized ATM, or hold onto the tokens in the hope of an increase in their value. Additionally, WLD payments are already accepted on platforms such as Discord, Shopify, Minecraft, Telegram, Mercado Libre, or Reddit, among other places. Who is behind Worldcoin? Worldcoin bears the stamp of two innovative minds: Sam Altman and Alex Blania. Altman is the CEO of OpenAI and a key figure in artificial intelligence development, leading projects like ChatGPT. Blania, on the other hand, is the co-founder of Tools For Humanity, contributing his experience in creating technological tools for a more equitable economic system to this new and successful cryptocurrency.
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The Neeva search engine fails and shuts down
02/06/2023After months of efforts, Neeva, the search engine designed by two former Google employees that aimed to provide a user-tracking-free and ad-free service, has announced its closure. Since its launch, Neeva has failed to gather a sufficient user base to sustain the project, even after announcing Neeva AI and becoming the first search engine to provide real-time AI-driven answers to most queries. Therefore, today, on June 2nd, Neeva will disappear as a search engine. Its founders will redirect their business to a new area, and subscribers with active licenses will receive a refund for the unused period. Neeva has also announced the deletion of all user data.
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Apple, Google and Mozilla will create a speedometer to evaluate Safari, Chrome and Firefox
20/12/2022Apple, Google and Mozilla start a joint project to develop Speedometer 3, a speedometer that is going to be useful to use to analyse and improve the performance of Internet browsing programs. The new speedometer will measure the responsiveness of web applications, timing user interactions across various workloads. In addition the three companies has explained that Speedometer 3 will be useful for adjusting any component to its maximum speed, although, according to the agreement signed by they three, any of their respective browsers, Apple's Safari, Google's Chrome or Mozilla's Firefox, can make significant changes to their performance until have the approval of the other two companies.
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The European Commission spends €400,000 on its own metaverse and only attracts six people to the inauguration
05/12/2022Absolute failure. The inagurated of the new metaverse from the European Commission that was presented a few days ago with a virtual party, only attract six persons. According to the specialized journalist Vicen Chadwick from Devex, the European Commission has invested €387,000 in the project to develop a virtual world, designed to attract the attention of young people and create a shared space on the Internet in which they can become aware of those thinghs that EU does on the world stage, and reflect on the problems that affect a globalized world. Also, this metaverse is designed to promote actions of the European Union related to health, education, climate and other topics of interest for youngest, such the Erasmus scholarships. The inauguration of the space, however, went completely unnoticed by the target audience and the few persons who entered the party, such as the journalists from Gizmodo, assure that the metaverse of the European Commission has many shortcomings.
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The United States accelerates the digital dollar
23/11/2022After US President Joe Biden ordered this past week to urgently evaluate the creation of the digital dollar, the Federal Reserve Bank and companies such US Bank, Citi, HSBC and Wells Fargo have announced a pilot prove to test the new currency. The digital Dollar will be issued centrally and its regulated liability network (RLN) will be tested for twelve weeks, during which the participating banks will operate in a simulated way, using tokens that will act as deposits from their clients that will be settled in a central reserve in a shared distributed ledger. This will be use to evaluate its security and operation in financial transactions and agreements. In parallel, China continues to promote the Digital Yuan and the European Central Bank (ECB) is also advancing in the creation of the digital euro, a project that the latest information indicates it cab be already viable in 2025. And while all this is happening, the information that ensures an imminent regulation for cryptocurrencies increases.
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Google will expand telepresence testing to other companies outside of its offices
21/10/2022Google continues with Starline 3D communication's project, based on telepresence and has announced that they will start testing it soon. This new communication solution works as a window in which you can make eye contact with another person, who appears in 3D and real size , allowing two participants to feel as if they were together, in the same space, despite the distance. To achieve this, Starline works with two structures in parallel, the first formed by a screen with cameras, speakers, lighting microphones and the computer where, they have explained, the other person is represented. The secod structure has a rear unit with infrared feedback, where the user is located. So far, Starlie prototypes have been tested in some Google offices in the United States and now, it has been announced that they will also begin testing in other technology partner companies such T-Mobile, Hackensack Meridian Health or Salesforce.
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Meta would abandon cryptocurrencies to bet on tokens
13/04/2022The Financial Times has published that Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, is working on a new digital currency that, at least internally, has already been baptized as "Zucks Bucks", in a clear reference to its founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. After the two failures of Meta related to cryptocurrencies, Diem and Libra, it seems that the new project would focus on the development of tokens that could be used in the company's Apps to acquire presentations or advantages. In parallel, Meta is also studying the integration of NFT in Facebook, a beta version of which could be ready in a few weeks, in mid-May.
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Island Browser for Business Reaches $1.3 Billion Value
06/04/2022Just some weeks after its launch, Island, the webbrowser focused in enterprise and security, has just reached a $1.3 billion valuation. Island browser is based on chromium and has been developed by two former Symantec executives, who were looking for an option configured to the web security needs of companies and not conventional users. The new browser, in addition to limiting the add-ons that many often some people install on company computers and that sometimes cause significant security breaches, incorporates specific tools to prevent this type of actions, protect SaaS applications, identify incidents and prevent data theft. Depending on the level of security required by each company, Island Browser allows, for example, to download content or not, disable or enable the copy and paste option or deny access to certain domains, among other options. From Island, also insist that their project is based on the utility and not on the consumer, so that the characterization level of Island browser it offers the minimum.
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US Defense is working on an AI assistant to help pilots react in emergency situations
14/02/2022The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working on a prototype of artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that will helps pilots solve unforeseen events during flights. This AI assistant would be integrated into an Augmented Reality viewer that would train the pilots in these situations. "This tool will help teach pilots new tasks, assist in error recognition, improve task completion time, and most importantly, help prevent catastrophic events," had said the manager statement senior of the program led by Northrop Grumman, Erin Cherry. As Cherry has explained, they have focused their work on the development of an intuitive context-adaptive reasoning assistant. With its help, pilots will be able to obtain precise information and orientation of the situation, place and the context through. For this they will have an interface with graphics in augmented reality capable, among of giving indications such as turning off the engine or resuming the march.
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Andalusia becomes the mecca of 5G in Europe
19/11/2021With more than 36 pilot projects developed by Vodafone Spain and Huawei, in collaboration with 50 companies and organizations, Andalusia has become in terms of number of 5G business use cases, the mecca of 5G in Europe. This has been announced in the recent closure of the 5G Andalusia Pilot project. The 36 5G pilot projects have been developed in the cities of Sevilla, Malaga, Puerto Real, Algeciras, Huelva and Jaén, and have included high-value solutions as technology with remote piloting for a defibrillator drone and medical telecare in real time or a new biometric access to the Málaga-María Zambrano railway station, which allows the identification of passengers in the boarding area. Thanks also to a 5G technology project, Balearia, the biggest maritime passenger and cargo transport company in Spain, has been able to lighten the management of vehicles in Algeciras harbour, where up to 8,000 vehicles pass daily in the operation "Paso del Estrecho".
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Google introduces its new translation features
17/11/2021In the recent Google event, Inventors @ Google, this IT company has made an exhaustive review of their progress in different projects that are currently underway. Among these developments, Google's new real-time translation function stands out. This new function will sent the user translation suggestions related to the messages they receive in a different language. In addition, this function will allow the users to dictate messages with voice, and these messages will be automatically translated into another language. Google has also advanced the novelties of its "language interpreter mode" of its Assistant, which uses the Pixel 6's Tensor processor to automatically translate the voice into different languages, acting as an interpreter in real life.
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Google accepts the challenge of bringing the Internet to all of Africa
29/10/2021Google has just announced that it's going to invest a billion dollars in improving the internet infrastructure in Africa through the American technology company Alphabet Inc. The project has the ambitious objective of increasing the Internet capacity in Africa 20 times, reducing the average connection price on the continent and increasing the Internet speed five times in this territory, where countries as Ethiopia or Malawi have an average connection below 0.5 megabits/ second. To complet this objectives, Google hopes to have its Equiano submarine cable ready by the end of this year. This cable has been deployed since 2019 and will connect Europe and Africa, contributing then to a considerable improvement in the current infrastructure of Africa. The “African digital transformation” project as it has been described by Google and Alphabet CEO, Sundar Pichai has a budget of 1 billion dolars, and incorporates a 50 million dolars, 40 million of which for non-profit organizations that works improving the standard of living in Africa, and the remaining 10 million for low-interest loans aimed at tech startups in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.
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What is IT maintenance? Prevention is better than cure
19/04/2021Keeping our IT equipment in good condition is essential for the smooth running of the business. The main goal of a good IT maintenance is to ensure the proper functioning of the hardware and software of our network and IT equipment and thus contribute to the overall efficiency of our business. What is the purpose of computer maintenance services? Computer maintenance services try to anticipate failures and offer us solutions to manage our computers and computer network, optimize their operation and secure all the information contained in our machines. In case of incidents, a good computer and systems technician will solve them and also find the cause of the error to prevent it from happening again. Benefits of hiring a computer maintenance and web maintenance service Common computers, servers, hard drives, networks, connections and antivirus problems can be avoided or prevented if we carry out all their preventive maintenance needs. Advance failure detection. Incidents can occur at any time, nipping them in the bud can save us a lot of headaches throughout the life of equipment. Improve the performance and reliability of your computers and network. This ensures our software is always up to date, thus improving the efficiency, speed and machines operation and other connected equipment. Prevents data loss. Data loss can wreak havoc. Keeping the equipment in good condition reduces the chances of these accidents that are completely neutralized if, in addition, our computer maintenance services include backups and contingency and recovery plans in case of disaster. Improve our protection against cyber-attacks. Regular maintenance means that our systems have the latest and, potentially, most effective security software installed to prevent any problem with malware, viruses, spyware or other unwanted attacks. Reduce our costs. With up-to-date computers we will always maximize their useful life and minimize the risk of loss due to unplanned downtime caused by computer problems. It helps us to keep the website properly updated and backed up. The most complete IT services include additional high-value services such as web maintenance for companies and backups of the entire project so nothing is lost in case of problems. What are the functions of a computer maintenance technician? Periodic reviews of computers, equipment and networks. To ensure from day one that everything is working properly, the software is up to date and the hardware is adequate. Server management with activity monitoring. To anticipate incidents or react immediately if they occur. Backup copies. To prevent data loss both on physical equipment and in the cloud. IT security. To keep machines protected and minimize the risks of viruses, computer attacks and improper intrusions. User management. To guarantee exhaustive control of how and who can access the data stored on the company's computers and servers. Remote and on-site technical assistance. Telephone support. To ensure quick resolution for major incidents and restore the service in the shortest possible time.
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