Worldcoin Banned For Three Months For Using Unlawful Data Collection Technology

The Spanish government has banned Sam Altman’s company Worldcoin for up to three months. The reason for the ban is to stop the privacy risks from the company, which scans iris in exchange for free cryptocurrency and digital ID.

According to Spanish data protection regulator AEPD, Worldcoin has been ordered to stop collecting personal information from its users. The platform has also been ordered to stop using the data it has already collected.

Worldcoin Says The Regulator Is Circumventing EU Law

In response to AEPD’s ban, Worldcoin defended its operations pointing out that the regulator was spreading misleading and inaccurate claims about its platform, and that it was “circumventing EU law”.

The AEPD stated that it has received several complaints from users of Worldcoin regarding the gathering of data from minors and the use of their information inappropriately. The complaints also included Worldcoin’s refusal for the users to withdraw their consent.

According to Worldcoin’s portal, over 4 million users across 120 countries have signed up for the platform to scan their irises. However, this has also attracted a lot of criticism from the public and privacy campaigners from Germany and Argentina. They have criticized Worldcoin for the wrong collection, storage, and use of the information it gathered.

Jannick Preisisch, Data Protection Officer at Worldcoin, commented about the issue. He stated that the platform has been trying to engage AEPD for several months but it has been futile. He added that the regulator has acted out of a lack of information regarding its data collection technology. As a result, the company is willing and ready to make AEPD understand this lawful and essential technology.

AEPD Is Partnering With Other Regulators For Its Operations

The AEPD stated that the processing of biometric data is highly risky because it is highly sensitive and infringes on people’s rights.

It added that the recent ban to prohibit Worldcoin’s activities is justified and the right action to take in such circumstances. The regulator said if it had not acted, it would have deprived people of the rights and protection they are entitled to have.

President of AEPD, Michael Will, stated that the ban will enable the regulator to prevent the procedure to its European colleagues. The regulator is also planning to carry out a final evaluation to determine how it will handle the situation after the ban.

The Bavaria-based data authority stated that it is collaborating with Portugal’s data authority to resolve the issue as soon as possible.