Worldcoin, led by OpenAI founder Sam Altman, faces new regulatory setbacks in Spain and Germany, as authorities order the deletion of iris scan data collected from users in both countries. This could be the another challenge for the project since its controversial launch in 2023.
The Worldcoin project, renamed to World, uses biometric identification, scanning users’ irises via devices called Orbs. Even though it promises to be the solution for better online privacy by replacing personal data with World IDs, critics claim that biometric data, unlike passwords, cannot be changed, which poses significant privacy risks.
On Friday, regulators in Germany issued detailed instructions to World, demanding that the company comply with the strict laws on data protection of the European Union. The Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision, where World has its EU headquarters, underlined users’ rights to data erasure.
With today’s decision, we are enforcing European fundamental rights standards in favor of the data subjects in a technologically demanding and legally highly complex case. All users who have provided Worldcoin with their iris data will in future have the unrestricted opportunity to enforce their right to erasure,” stated Michael Will, President of BayLDA.
In Spain, the country’s national data protection agency, AEPD, had also ordered the erasure of all biometric data taken from people in the country. Based on a joint investigation conducted with German regulators, the investigation found that World breached the GDPR of the EU. It is worth noting that before this, Spain had barred the project temporarily and even had its decision confirmed by the High Court in March.
Global Scrutiny Of Worldcoin
Launched in 2023, but conceptualized in 2019, this World project promises a revolution through online interactions, because it allows users not to share personal data but is supposed to guarantee more safe and private access online by World IDs, with iris scan.
Global privacy watchdogs, however, remain skeptical. In August, Colombia’s Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC) launched an inquiry into the project to determine compliance with its data protection regulations. In May, Hong Kong authorities blocked the project outright, citing concerns over privacy.
Ambitious Growth Amid Controversies
Despite increased legal pressures, Worldcoin is expanding. The project’s website says that in the last seven days alone, 343,904 unique human verifications were completed. The app has reportedly gained 20 million users worldwide, and 9.2 million unique individuals have already been integrated into its ecosystem.
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