- Worldcoin has landed in trouble.
- Spain took regulatory action against the project.
- The project has up to 72 hours to comply with certain orders.
Spain has become the first European country to act against Worldcoin, the controversial crypto project that scans users’ irises in exchange for a digital ID and free WLD tokens.
On March 6, Spain’s data protection regulator, the AEPD, blocked Worldcoin’s operations, citing multiple biometric data protection rules violations. Worldcoin has been operational in Spain since April last year when it launched its Orb scan devices across multiple locations in Barcelona.
Spain Takes “Precautionary Measure” Against Worldcoin
According to a Financial Times report on Wednesday, Spain’s data watchdog has taken a “precautionary measure” against Worldcoin by ordering the project to cease collecting personal information in the country immediately via the Orb scans.
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AEPD Director España Martí stated that the move against Worldcoin was impelled by concerns that the project’s World ID initiative opened Spanish citizens to various risks ranging from identity fraud to health privacy breaches and discrimination.
Per Martí, Worldcoin has also been collecting information about minors, warranting a coordinated European action against the project.
“What we have done is raise the alarm in Europe. But this is an issue that affects . . . citizens in all the countries of the European Union,” Martí stated. That means there has to be co-ordinated action.”
The development comes after a data protection watchdog in one of Spain’s autonomous regions (Basque country) flagged Worldcoin’s operations at Bilbao Mall in January and called for a project risk assessment.
Worldcoin has up to 72 hours to comply with today’s orders.
Read about Worldcoin’s recent woes in Hong Kong:
Hong Kong Privacy Watchdog Raids Worldcoin Offices
Stay updated on the genesis of Worldcoin:
How Worldcoin Wooed Investors to Inject $115M in an Ambitious Eye-Scanning Project
