The decision to restrict Worldcoin’s operations in Spain has been finalized by AEPD, the country’s data protection regulator.
The short-lived rally of the Worldcoin popularity came to a halt in several nations in recent months. Worldcoin’s user data collection via eye scans has raised concerns among several governments around the world. This week, Spain became the latest nation to ban Sam Altman’s ambitious project from collecting personal data and biometrics of Spanish citizens. What world leaders are seeing as riddled with privacy issues, Altman’s Worldcoin project aims to create a unique identification of personhood now that bots and AI are on the rise.
The decision to restrict Worldcoin’s operations in Spain has been finalised by AEPD, the data protection regulator of the country. In an official statement, the regulatory body has warned Worldcoin against collecting anymore data and also against using the already obtained information.
“The AEPD has received several complaints against this company denouncing, among other aspects, insufficient information, the collection of data from minors or that the withdrawal of consent is not allowed,” the statement from AEPD said this week.
1/ A look inside the Orb 🧵 pic.twitter.com/z48ldlLx5j
— World (@worldnetwork) August 3, 2023
As individuals queued up at Worldcoin booths worldwide, including in India, policymakers began to recognize the problematic nature of Worldcoin’s data collection process. Kenya was among the first countries to take decisive action to address the Worldcoin frenzy by suspending it indefinitely.
“The processing of biometric data, which is considered to have special protection under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), poses significant risks to individuals’ rights due to its sensitive nature,” noted the Spanish regulator.