--- title: "Tinder Scanning Users’ Eyeballs to Prove They Aren’t Creeps" description: "Tinder is partnering with Sam Altman's World project to let users prove their humanity by getting their eyeballs scanned." date: "2026-04-26" modified: "2026-04-26" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/tinder-scanning-eyeballs" categories: - "Future Society" - "Privacy" --- # Tinder Scanning Users’ Eyeballs to Prove They Aren’t Creeps ![A close-up of a circular object resembling an eye with the Tinder logo at the center. The iris area contains intricate circuit-like patterns, and the overall design combines elements of technology and fire.]() *Getty / Futurism* Tinder is partnering with Sam Altman's World project to let its users prove they're real humans, in just about the creepiest way possible: scanning their eyeballs with a Cyclops-looking orb. The initiative, carried out by Altman's startup Tools for Humanity, was announced last Friday, and represents a major foray for the biometric verification startup, which has struggled to catch on amid numerous controversies. The concept's invasiveness notwithstanding, it does address a persistent problem. Dating apps like Tinder [are rife with scammers](), creeps, and bot accounts — so why not fork over your irises to a company with alleged [data privacy violations]() and stand out among the hordes of suspicious profiles? There will soon be "more stuff made by AI than is made by humans" online, Altman warned at the event, [the *BBC* reported](). "I'm not afraid for the future as long as we can tell between the two." Tinder is providing incentives to try out the verification scheme. After scanning their eyeballs and receiving a "World ID," users will receive five "boosts," which raises the visibility of their profile in an area for thirty minutes at time. These normally aren't free, and cost up to $10 a pop. World originally began as Worldcoin, a project that used the same Orb to scan people's eyeballs in exchange for receiving a World ID and some cryptocurrency. The crypto it was peddling, however, was its own token, WLD. In effect, it was coaxing people into surrendering their biometric data in exchange for [company scrip](); today, a WLD token's value is worth only 25 cents, while it launched at $7.50. Moreover, an [investigation by *MIT Technology Review*]() found that Worldcoin used predatory and deceptive practices to get people to submit to its scans, often targeting exploited workers in poor countries. Governments have struck back. In the EU, it was [ordered to delete all iris scanning data]() taken from people living there. The Kenyan government [suspended Worldcoin's operations]() in 2023, and the UK's data regulator [said it would investigate its practices](). Given all the baggage it comes with, Tinder is really going out on a limb in partnering with Altman's biometric startup, and World seemingly needs Tinder far more than Tinder needs World. So far, World boasts that 18 million people have obtained World IDs through eyeball scans and it will hope to raise those figures by tapping into Tinder's giant pool of around 50 million actively weekly users. **More on** **privacy:** [*Leak Shows ICE Planning to Use Facial Recognition Glasses to Identify Targets in Real Time*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()