WorldCoin's Orb Mini Has Ignited Another Wave of Skepticism and Satire Across the Global Crypto Community

WorldCoin's latest invention, the Orb Mini, has ignited another wave of skepticism and satire across the global crypto community, especially on social media.

WorldCoin's latest gadget, the Orb Mini, has been met with another wave of skepticism and satire by the crypto community, especially on social media.

Designed as a more compact version of the original Orb, the Orb Mini is a small iris scanner used to verify users and issue them a unique World ID, which is recorded on the blockchain. It was unveiled at the "At Last" event in San Francisco on April 30.

Announced with the tagline "It goes where you go", the Orb Mini is a portable iris scanner designed to verify users and issue them a unique World ID, which is recorded on the blockchain.

But while the crypto community might be used to new coins and tokens being launched, a small and portable iris scanner for scanning people on the go might be a technology too far, at least according to several crypto Twitter users.

Those who had the chance to attend the event in San Francisco on April 30 were quick to share their thoughts on the Orb Mini, with some comparing it to dystopian tech and others poking fun at its unclear use case.

"The thing about humans is they can tell when a human is in a photo and they can experience the uncanny valley when something is slightly off – an uncomfortable feeling like when your date tries to scan your eyeball," wrote Alicia Katz, who works at Euler Finance.

Another user joked: "Is this so you can register your friends? I feel like this is an appareil from a 1940s sci-fi movie."

WorldCoin's Struggles Beyond the Hype

The backlash isn't just limited to online humor. Several users and industry voices are raising valid concerns about the Orb Mini's security, privacy implications, and ethical use. Some are skeptical that the device could be easily spoofed by AI-generated imagery or deep fakes, rendering its authentication capabilities useless.

One sarcastic commenter even proposed "a rectal probe" as a more secure and foolproof alternative to the Orb Mini, highlighting how drastically different their perspectives are on what constitutes a reliable and trustworthy technology for a global identity system.

The CEO of Swan Bitcoin, Cory Klippsten, went as far as to label the Orb Mini a "creepy dystopia-shilling tool," suggesting that the entire Worldcoin project is more reflective of its creators’ insecurities and anxieties about the world.

In a broader commentary, Klippsten opines that the project speaks more to the inventors' personal anxieties and insecurities than any pressing need in society at large.

"They're making an object smaller and lighter, but more importantly they're making an object more fabled and mythical in the minds of those who believe in it. It's an age-old story: take something small and light and make it large and heavy in the minds of men."

In Africa, where Worldcoin has previously run into trouble with regulators, the rollout of yet another biometric device is likely to raise even more serious questions.

Kenya, for example, had to temporarily suspend Worldcoin's operations in 2023 after raising concerns over the startup's ability to comply with local data protection laws. The Communications Authority of Kenya, along with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), expressed worries about collecting such sensitive biometric data without sufficient legal frameworks in place to safeguard that data.

On May 5, 2025, the High Court of Kenya ruled that Worldcoin's activities in the country were illegal, noting that the startup's operations were in contravention of the Data Protection Act of 2019.

🇰🇪 REGULATION | Kenya High Court Declares @worldcoin Operations Ilegal, Orders Deletion of Biometric Data

Justice Aburili has ruled that @worldcoin's activities in Kenya are iglegal and ordered that the startup's data be deleted from its servers within 60 days.

The judge said that Worldcoin’s operations infringe on Kenyans’ constitutional right to privacy.

BitcoinKE.io reported that the case began in 2023 shortly after the crypto startup was forced to halt its operations in the East African nation.

The crypto startup was ordered to cease its operations in April 2023 by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA). At the time, the regulator said that Worldcoin did not have the necessary licenses to carry out its activities in the country.

The crypto startup was also being investigated by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) over allegations that it was collecting personal data from Kenyans without their consent.

The case was brought by two Kenyans, who argued that Worldcoin’s activities were a violation of their right to privacy. They also claimed that the startup had failed to obtain the necessary consent from Kenyans before collecting their biometric data.

In his ruling, Justice Aburili said that he was satisfied that Worldcoin’s operations were in contravention of the Data Protection Act. The judge also said that the startup had failed to take the necessary steps