Spain orders Sam Altman’s cryptocurrency project world coin Stop collecting data on citizens.
For orders from Wednesday (March 6th), Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) will also block data the project has already collected using eye-scanning spheres.
“AEPD received the following: some complaints “We have filed complaints against the company regarding lack of information, data collection from minors, the fact that consent cannot be withdrawn, and other violations,” the agency said in a news release.
In a statement to PYMNTS, WorldCoin’s head of data protection, Yannick Preivis, said AEPD’s actions violate EU law and that regulators have found misleading and inaccurate information about the company’s technology. He accused them of spreading false claims.
“Our efforts to work with AEPD and provide them with accurate information about Worldcoin and World ID went unanswered for months,” Preivish said. “We are grateful for the opportunity to help them better understand important facts about this essential and legitimate technology.”
WorldCoin’s founders initially said they wanted to expand the reach of cryptocurrencies and financial services overall to a wider range of users.
Last July, the company said: Introducing biometric orb technology It took place in 35 cities across 20 countries to obtain participants’ biometrics and provide “proof of identity.”
As of December, more than 2.6 million people had signed up to have their iris scanned with the project’s Orb device in exchange for a digital ID and free cryptocurrency.
However, this project has also received backlash in our country.Kenya suspended WorldCoin operations in August last year. Under government investigation.
“The government is concerned about the continued activities of an organization calling itself ‘WORLD COIN’ that is involved in registering citizens through the collection of eye and iris data,” Minister Kisre Kindiki said in a release on the ministry’s Facebook page. said.
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) told PYMNTS that it would “conduct further investigation” into WorldCoin. Immediately after debut.
In response, WorldCoin said it complies with all data processing laws in the markets it serves, including the UK.
“WorldCoin was designed from the beginning to protect individual privacy,” the company said in an emailed statement to PYMNTS at the time. “This project implemented a privacy-centric design, built a robust privacy program, conducted a rigorous data protection impact assessment, and responded in a timely manner to individual requests to delete personal data.”
Mar España Martithe AEPD chief told the Financial Times that Spain was the first country in Europe to introduce it. Compete with World Coin.
“What we have done is to sound the alarm in Europe. But this is an issue that affects the citizens of every country in the European Union,” she said. “That means concerted action is needed.”
