French Privacy Watchdog Raises Concerns Over Worldcoin's Data Collection; Collaborating with Germany for Investigation
European regulators, including the French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) and the Bavarian state authority in Germany, are raising legal concerns about Worldcoin's data collection methods.
In an email on Friday, July 28, CNIL said: "The legality of this collection seems questionable, as do the conditions for storing biometric data."
Worldcoin, co-founded by OpenAI's Sam Altman, launched on June 24 with an ambitious plan to scan the irises of millions of people in 20 countries, granting them a "digital passport" called "World ID" and rewarding them with 25 WLD, the project's native token.
The aim is to provide individuals with a means to verify their humanity and distinguish themselves from robots as artificial intelligence becomes more influential.
However, concerns surrounding data privacy, security, and data collection have emerged, leading to investigations by CNIL, the French privacy watchdog.
CNIL is also collaborating with the Bavarian state authority in Germany to address these issues associated with Worldcoin.
Worldcoin's website indicates they have amassed 2.1 million sign-ups during their two-year trial period. Since the official launch, the company proudly boasts on Twitter that a unique human verifies their World ID every 7.6 seconds, leading to daily records.
They have shared photos of their orbs in cities like Seoul, Mexico City, and Paris since the launch on July 24.
Although a video shared by Co-founder Sam Altman showed people in Japan lining up to provide their iris scans in exchange for "free" Worldcoin (WLD) tokens, the company finds it hard attracting new sign-ups.
Only about 200 people signed up on the first day at each of the three designated locations in Hong Kong, totaling 600.
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