Tools for Humanity, the technology startup founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has appointed Damien Kieran as its first Chief Privacy Officer. This comes at a time when the company is under increased regulatory scrutiny due to its Worldcoin project, which collects biometric data.

The San Francisco-based company created the new position to consolidate various privacy functions within the organization. Kieran, who spent seven years at Twitter, now X, left his position as Chief Privacy Officer after the acquisition by Elon Musk. "I supported the transition from Twitter to X and then decided that it was time for new challenges and experiences," said Kieran.

Now Kieran faces the task of working with global regulatory authorities to address their concerns regarding Worldcoin's handling of biometric data. Worldcoin allows users to download a wallet app that supports a digital identity called World ID. For verification, users must stand in front of a physical imaging device known as the "Orb," which scans their eyes to verify "humanness and uniqueness." In countries where it is legal, users then receive Worldcoin tokens.

According to the Worldcoin website, nearly 6 million users from over 160 countries have registered for World ID, with Orb verifications taking place in 39 countries. Tools for Humanity oversaw the launch of Worldcoin last year, promising to create a public financial network that can distinguish people from artificial intelligence online while preserving their privacy.

Worldcoin enables people to prove humanity on a large scale, which is becoming increasingly important in the age of AI. The technology ensures that individuals cannot be personally identified based on the information used to create their World ID," said Kieran.

Handling of Biometric Data Raises Concerns in Countries like Spain and Germany

We will always cooperate constructively with regulatory authorities in every country in which we operate," said Kieran.

Alongside Kieran, Tools for Humanity has appointed more former Silicon Valley executives. Adrian Ludwig, former Director of Android Security at Alphabet’s Google, has been appointed as Chief Information Security Officer to focus on data security. Rich Heley, who previously held leadership roles at Apple, Meta, and Tesla, will be responsible for Worldcoin's Orb as Chief Device Officer. Ajay Patel, who led the Google Payments Identity Team, has been appointed as Head of World ID.

Tools for Humanity is a separate entity from OpenAI that maintains a content licensing partnership with Wall Street Journal owner News Corp.