Sam Altman's Worldcoin has been the talk of the town ever since its official launch on July 24, 2023. It is a blockchain network that aims to preserve humanness by distinguishing bots from humans. However, within only a few months of its launch, Worldcoin is already facing scrutiny over privacy concerns.
The Worldcoin network comprises an Iris-scanning Orb, the World app, World ID, and the Worldcoin (WLD) token. The Worldcoin scans your iris to give you a unique World ID. You can use this ID to prove your digital uniqueness and make online transactions.
This means you must share your sensitive biometric data to become a part of and leverage the Worldcoin network. Altman and other co-founders started incentivizing registrants with free WLD tokens to ensure more and more people registered for his new project.
Since the Oeb scans the iris, which is sensitive data, privacy regulators are constantly raising concerns. Although Worldcoin claims that it deletes biometric data immediately and won't sell it to any third party, many governments and privacy regulating bodies worldwide have questioned how to use sensitive data.
Here are some of the places where Worldoin is facing scrutiny:
Argentina
Argentina’s information body AAIP recently started an investigation against Worldcoin's data collection practices. The agency aims to get information on how Worldcoin collects, stores, and uses data.
The United Kingdom
The Worldcoin also faces scrutiny from the United Kingdom. UK's data regulatory body, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), said it acknowledges the launch of Worldcoin. However, it will also have further inquiries about its practices. But there's no official confirmation that the UK will backlash Worldcoin.
Kenya
The biggest scrutiny that Worldcoin faces is from Kenya, where it is completely banned. Since the official launch, thousands of Kenyan people have registered for WorldID to get free WLD tokens.
The government felt it was a foul way of attracting new users. Moreover, the primary reason for suspending Worldcoin was that it threatened public safety. Hence, the Kenyan government ordered Worldcoin to stop registering new users.
In an official statement, the Communications Authority of Kenya warned the citizens of concerns over sharing sensitive data with a private company.
France
CNIL is also carrying out necessary checks against Worldcoin. It has recently visited Worldcoin's Paris office to learn more about the project and how it works.
How the Future Looks for Worldcoin
Worldcoin is indeed facing scrutiny across different locations worldwide. However, Sam Altman and the team have no intention of slowing down the project. The team says they will continue working with the government officials to clear out any privacy concerns. Worldcoin is committed to meeting any regulatory requirements to ensure consumer privacy.
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