The Worldcoin Foundation has announced plans to launch a new proprietary Layer-2 network on Ethereum called World Chain. This new blockchain is being described as designed specifically for humans.
World Chain is set to launch in the summer of this year, with details about the launch still to be revealed by the company.
The network will be open and permissionless, with community governance. Users will not need a verified World ID to use World Chain, allowing everyone to submit transactions. Verified users will have their transactions prioritized and anonymized through zero-knowledge proof technology.
Worldcoin will provide verified users with a free gas allowance through a WLD token claim every two weeks, or users can pay for gas in ETH. The company also plans to cover casual users’ gas costs with fees from bots and power users after the initial fee sponsorship.
With Worldcoin accounting for a large percentage of network activity, the company aims to support 1 billion users, a significant increase from the 10 million users it currently serves.
In response to current network costs, Worldcoin plans to increase the Layer-2 block gas limit significantly. The company emphasized its scalability goals as it transitions to a dedicated network.
Worldcoin highlighted the importance of verification, or “Proof of Personhood,” in combating AI abuse. The company’s reliance on biometric data has sparked controversy, with regulatory concerns raised in various regions.
Despite criticisms, Worldcoin asserts the legality of its operations and has announced improvements to transparency and data handling by open-sourcing parts of its project.
