Venezuelans cross into Colombia to get their irises scanned with Worldcoin

Worldcoin has surpassed TikTok in downloads in Colombia, especially among Venezuelan migrants.

Worldcoin offers WLD tokens for iris scanning, with additional incentives for recruiters.

There are questions about iris scanning about whether users understand what they are giving up.

The cryptocurrency project Worldcoin, now known as World, has surpassed the social network TikTok in the ranking of most downloaded applications in Colombia, reflecting the significant interest of the inhabitants of a country that is home to almost 3 million Venezuelan migrants, the highest number worldwide.

On the border between Venezuela and Colombia, Worldcoin has captured the attention of numerous Venezuelan citizens as a way to earn additional income. Between 140 and 160 Venezuelans pass through this area every day, crossing into Colombia via the Cúcuta border, according to data from the Colombian-Venezuelan NGO, which has been dedicated to providing humanitarian aid to "migrant walkers" since 20215.

Venezuela is going through a deep political and economic crisis that has intensified in recent years. Both crises are intertwined, where political instability has exacerbated the economic crisis and vice versa, creating a cycle of deterioration that deeply affects the population. The economic crisis in Venezuela is characterized by hyperinflation that has seen high annual rates, drastically eroding the purchasing power of citizens. So, due to a combination of factors, such as the devaluation of the national currency and the exchange rate gap between the official and parallel dollar, a massive migration was triggered, with millions of Venezuelans leaving the country in search of better opportunities, contributing to one of the most significant migration crises in Latin America.

In this context, Worldcoin is attracting the interest of Venezuelans, especially in the border area near Cúcuta, where there are three offices dedicated to iris scanning.