Sam Altman’s dystopian iris-scanning “Orb” technology has infiltrated mainstream retail spaces, now collecting Americans’ permanent biometric data in exchange for cryptocurrency—a chilling fusion of Big Tech surveillance and financial control that cannot be erased once submitted. Biometric Surveillance Comes to Union Square OpenAI cofounder Sam Altman’s company World launched a 5,000-square-foot retail storefront at 281 Geary Street in San Francisco’s Union Square in May 2025, positioning spherical “Orb” devices as the solution to distinguishing humans from AI-generated bots. The store features “Orb Mini” scanning devices that capture high-resolution iris scans, facial images, and body photographs from willing participants. World plans to expand this physical retail model to six additional U.S. cities including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and Austin, while occupying a 90,000-square-foot former Airbnb headquarters at 600 Townsend East for corporate operations. Introducing the Orb Mini. Designed to make human verification more accessible, it’s transportable and seamlessly accommodates your lifestyle. The Orb Mini, it goes where you go. pic.twitter.com/b4EwJM25GF — World (@worldcoin) May 10, 2025 Permanent Records on Blockchain Architecture The fundamental design of World’s system creates irreversible privacy risks that should alarm every American concerned about government overreach and corporate data collection. Once an individual submits their iris scan and biometric information to World’s blockchain-based network, that data becomes permanently stored across decentralized systems with no erasure capability. This represents a dangerous departure from traditional data protection principles where individuals maintain rights to delete their personal information. The company’s stated goal of “authenticating humans in the age of artificial general intelligence” provides justification for creating permanent biometric records on millions of Americans—records that could be exploited by future governments or bad actors. Sam Altman’s creepy ‘human verification’ orb spotted inside San Francisco Gap store https://t.co/AVrSp6lj6h pic.twitter.com/NKk8zDhzp6 — New York Post (@nypost) January 22, 2026 Troubling Track Record with Vulnerable Populations World’s expansion into American retail follows a disturbing pattern of targeting the defenseless. MIT researchers documented in 2022 that the company focused its initial scanning operations on low-income individuals in developing nations with minimal legal protections against biometric exploitation. This predatory approach reveals the true nature of Altman’s vision—not protecting individual liberty, but building a global surveillance infrastructure using those least able to resist. The company’s 2023 security breach, where hackers obtained employee passwords and accessed collected biometric data, demonstrates that these permanent records face real threats from malicious actors, yet the blockchain architecture prevents victims from ever erasing their compromised information. Financial Control Through Biometric Gatekeeping World’s partnerships with Visa for debit card services and Match Group for dating app verification expose a broader agenda: linking fundamental services to biometric compliance. Starting summer 2025, World planned to integrate Visa-branded debit cards with its verification system, while Tinder and other Match-owned platforms would incorporate World’s authentication. This creates a two-tiered system where Americans must sacrifice biometric privacy to access financial services and social platforms. Co-founder Alex Blania suggested the Orb devices may eventually function as point-of-sale systems, further entrenching this verification requirement into daily commerce. This represents precisely the kind of corporate-government fusion that threatens individual autonomy and constitutional protections against unreasonable searches. Rejection of Altman’s Surveillance Vision Despite Altman’s confidence and significant venture capital backing, analysis indicates World has “failed to get anywhere near its vision” of widespread adoption. Americans instinctively recognize the “creepy” and “Black Mirror-esque” nature of surrendering irreversible biometric data to private corporations, particularly one with documented security vulnerabilities and a history of exploiting vulnerable populations. The company’s claim of 26 million users remains unverified by independent sources, while the fundamental question persists: why should free citizens submit to permanent biometric cataloging to prove their humanity? Traditional identity verification methods exist without requiring iris scans stored forever on blockchain systems beyond any individual’s or government’s control to erase. Sources: Sam Altman’s World Networks Opens Iris-Scanning Orb Store in San Francisco’s Union Square – SFist Altman’s Orb Knows Your Humanity – AI Inside Podcast Orb Device in San Francisco Store Aims to Fight Bots with Biometric Scans – Patch Sam Altman Fails with Eyes on Creepy Technology – AOL News