German watchdog Doug cracked Worldcoin over biometric data

WorldCoin, the crypto-based digital identity project founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is under renewed scrutiny as German regulators demand that it comply with EU data protection laws.

The Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision (BayLDA) is investigating how WorldID, the core technology of WorldCoin, complies with GDPR standards, as of Thursday. advertisement.

BayLDA has ordered Worldcoin to implement a GDPR-compliant data deletion protocol no later than January 19th.

of GDPR It is a comprehensive EU law designed to protect individuals' personal data and privacy, enforcing strict rules on how data is collected, collected and stored.

“With today's decision, we implement the European fundamental rights standards Advocating for data subjects in a technologically demanding and legally complex matter,” said Michael Will, President of the BEDLA State Office. All users who submit “Worldcoin” through Iris Data will have an unlimited opportunity to exercise their right to cancel in the future.

of World ID Through “Orbs,” it's generated through devices that scan human eyeballs to create a unique digital identity designed to verify that individuals are real people rather than bots.

However, BALD has raised concerns over “fundamental data protection risks” arising from processing such sensitive biometric data and respecting data protection rights.

Worldcoin voluntarily suspended some of its operations across EU countries during the inquiry and introduced reforms to improve compliance.

The regulator pointed to earlier global data collection practices that involved storing Iris codes in centralized databases.

These activities were deemed non-compliant with the GDPR, which mandated the deletion of all data collected without sufficient legal grounds. The world is now required to secure explicit consent for certain stages of data processing.

While Iris implements cryptographic protocols that de-identify data by breaking codes into encrypted chunks, BELD determined that additional adjustments were necessary.

WorldCoin has already accepted the German regulator's decision and plans to appeal, the agency said in a statement.

It faces global privacy concerns.

WorldcoinIn the year Launched in 2023, it introduced a concept called “body authentication” that seeks to establish a broad network of users who are authenticated as humans rather than bots or AI algorithms.

However, his vision quickly attracted the attention of world regulators.

Countries like Kenya and Portugal have temporarily suspended the project due to personal issues.

In October, Worldcoin Transferred To his new identity as ‘World' and unveiled his improved iris-scanning “Orb” device.

These devices, with 30% fewer parts and three times the production capacity of their predecessors, were first deployed in Berlin, Germany in July 2023.

Although the initiative received attention for the creation, it was equal They criticized. Privacy advocates have labeled the project as intrusive and potentially exploitative.

Shortly after the project started, France and Germany It has launched investigations into its biometric data collection practices. French privacy watchdog CNL has questioned the legality of the data collection and storage process, calling it “suspicious”.

The world did not respond immediately Decrypt's Request for feedback.

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair.