MADRID – The German data protection authority BayLDA has ruled that Worldcoin must delete all iris scanning data collected since the project’s inception, a decision cited by Spain’s data protection watchdog AEPD on Thursday.
Key Points
- BayLDA found the venture in violation of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- The ruling affects Worldcoin, which has recently rebranded as World
- The company’s European headquarters is located in Erlangen, Bavaria
- Spain’s High Court previously upheld a temporary ban on the venture in March
About Worldcoin
The project, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in 2019, aimed to:
- Create a global identity system
- Offer cryptocurrency and digital IDs in exchange for iris scans
- Establish a new form of digital identity verification
This ruling represents a significant setback for the controversial project, which has faced privacy concerns in multiple countries.
(Story corrected to clarify that AEPD was citing a German regulatory decision, and to specify Worldcoin’s European headquarters location)