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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Lenovo
LenovoFounded in 1989, the Chinese company Lenovo is today another of the world's technology giants. By the beginning of 2021, Lenovo was the largest seller of personal computers in the world by units, and, to give more scandalous data, since 1995 they have sold more than 500 million PCs worldwide. It's not all about PCs. Lenovo also designs, develops, and manufactures tablets, smartphones, workstations, servers, supercomputers, electronic storage devices, IT management software, and smart TVs from operating sites around the world.
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Europe proposes a very strict regulation that requires increasing the factory security of any device designed to be connected to the Internet
16/09/2022Some details from the new rules of the European Commission against cybercrime, 'Cyber Resilience Act', are beginning to be known. Among what has transpired is that the new regulation will force all manufacturers of potentially insecure products to increase it substantially and to provide more information to buyers about the level of protection of the devices they buy. This regulation will be of general application, and will affect all types of devices and systems, from the most basic such as a watch to the most sophisticated such as the software of any computer designed to be connected to Internet. All must comply with the provisions of the 'Cyber Resilience Act' to receive its approval and be able to be sold on the European market, and also, to avoid being subject to investigations and significant fines. In this sense, the proposed sanctions that are considered in the draft of the regulations could reach 15 million euros or 2.5% of the global annual income of the fined company. According to the European Commission in the presentation of the consultation carried out for the elaboration of the 'Cyber Resilience Act', "the new regulation aims to respond to the needs of the market and protect consumers from unsafe products by introducing standards common cybersecurity standards for manufacturers and sellers of tangible and intangible digital products and ancillary services.
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What is web hosting and why do you need it?
09/09/2021If you are thinking of creating your own website or if, on the contrary, you already have one and are looking for a better web hosting service, you probably have many doubts concerning web hosting: what exactly is it, what are its different types, why do I need it, etc. For this reason, here we offer you a clear and simple guide to web hosting. What is web hosting? Web hosting is a service that allows organizations and individuals to post a website or web page onto the Internet so that it can be consulted at any time and from any place and device. The content of the websites is stored, therefore, in web servers. These servers allow the content to be accessible via the World Wide Web. For all those who do not know the term, a web server is a piece of computer equipment that is much more powerful than any conventional computer and that is connected to the Internet 24 hours a day to enable access to the contents it stores. Different types of web hosting are offered based on the web server: shared hosting, VPS, cloud hosting, WordPress hosting, elastic hosting, etc. These services are offered by web hosts such as Webempresa, which provide space on a server for use by clients. Why do you need web hosting? Web hosting allows your website to be always online and available worldwide and for everyone. Therefore, even if you can afford to buy your own server and have a fast internet connection, it is advisable to hire a web hosting service, as it will be much cheaper. Web hosts have their own servers to host their clients' websites. These servers are located in a Data Processing Center (DPC): an infrastructure that has the most advanced security systems and stable and secure internet connections, which prevent errors in the services. What are the different types of web hosting? Although there are different types of web hosting in the market, the most common are the following: shared hosting, dedicated hosting, VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting, cloud hosting, reseller hosting, and WordPress hosting. Each of them meets the needs of a particular group of customers. Shared hosting is the most basic type of web hosting. The provider rents small spaces on a single server to different websites. In this way, all customers have their own space to host their content, while sharing server resources such as CPU, processor, RAM, bandwidth, or IP address. In contrast, a dedicated hosting service is a type of web hosting in which the client leases an entire server and does not share it with anyone else. Although shared hosting works very well, a dedicated server stands out because it is never affected by existing traffic and because it has a higher level of security. A virtual private server (VPS) is basically a server running within a server. One physical server hosts multiple virtual servers, each isolated from the others. Each VPS runs its own operating system, independent of the others. The features offered by a virtual private server are very similar to those of shared hosting. At the same time, it offers all the benefits of a dedicated server. Cloud hosting works in a very similar way to the "cloud" where we store all kinds of documents. This is because all the resources that are used to collect the information of a website are executed from a cloud server. The main difference between cloud hosting and other web hosting types is that, in this case, you only pay for the services you use. Reseller hosting is another type of web hosting. It is basically white-label web hosting. A person buys hosting from a provider and then resells those services to his/her clients. This allows the creation of hosting plans and external domains or subdomains. The last type of web hosting we will talk about here is email hosting, which allows you to register a domain name and therefore have a professional email service. This type of web hosting is highly recommended for businesses or individuals that intend to convey an image of seriousness and trust. Thus, thanks to email hosting, you will be able to have a personalized email address, more storage space, and a higher level of security.
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Macro cyber-attack affects more than 350 companies worldwide
07/07/2021The number of companies that have suffered from the REvil macro cyberattack now exceeds 350 organizations worldwide from which the cybercriminals are demanding 70 million in bitcoins to provide them with a universal decryptor to restore their data. The attack was conducted through the update system of IT services software company Kaseya, which REvil exploited to spread and hide ransomware. The virus was leaked to TI Kaseya resellers and from there has reached all end customers using their software. The official data provided by TI Kaseya sets the number of affected companies at 350, although other sources such as the cybersecurity company ESET talk about more than 1,000, including some Spanish organizations, although no names have been disclosed. It has been made public that one of the companies most affected by the cyberattack has been the Swedish supermarket chain Coop, which has had to close its more than 800 points of sale for a few days due to the impossibility of using its cash registers or charging customers. Based on Sophos threat intelligence, REvil has been active in recent weeks and is currently the dominant ransomware gang involved in Sophos' defensively managed threat response cases. Prior to this latest attack, they were also responsible for the one suffered by meat company JBS, which forced the cancellation of all work shifts at the company's slaughterhouses in the US. JBS paid up to 11 million to restore normal operations. These macro cyber-attacks are in addition to other recent and highly significant ones, such as the one perpetrated by the hacker group DarkSide, which forced the preventive shutdown of the largest oil pipeline network in the United States, Colonial Pipeline, endangering the supply of fuel in a large part of the country, or the one suffered by the SEPE and the Ministry of Labor in Spain a few weeks ago.
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