Worldcoin Extends Suspension in Spain Amid GDPR Audit

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Hongji Feng

Hongji Feng

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Hongji is a crypto and tech reporter. He graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a Bachelor's and a Master's. He has previously interned at HTX (Huobi Global),...

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June 5, 2024 01:38 EDT

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Worldcoin will continue to temporarily pause operations in Spain through the end of 2024, or if sooner, until a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance audit is completed.

According to an official statement by Worldcoin, Tools for Humanity has voluntarily extended the suspension of orb operations in Spain. This extension allows BayLDA, the competent lead authority responsible for overseeing Worldcoin’s GDPR compliance, to complete its audit.

Worldcoin’s Data Privacy Under Scrutiny

The audit, conducted by BayLDA in Bavaria, aims to ensure that Worldcoin’s operations comply with the European Union’s data protection regulations. The suspension of operations includes the use of Worldcoin orbs, devices used to scan users’ irises to create digital identities.

The project has faced scrutiny from several government agencies over concerns about the protection of personal data. The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) initially ordered the suspension of Worldcoin’s activities in March 2024 due to these concerns.

The AEPD acknowledged that Worldcoin has implemented several privacy and security measures in recent months to address its concerns.

These measures include advanced age verification controls, transforming old iris codes into SMPC shares, and offering optional World ID unverification with the ability to delete iris codes, demonstrating that it is fully committed to cooperation and ensuring data protection compliance.

90% of WLD Users Support Its Return to Spain

“In a recent survey of World ID users in Spain, more than 80% of the 21,000 respondents said they believe technologies like World ID are important to distinguish between bots and humans online,” said Tools for Humanity Chief Legal Officer Thomas Scott.

“Nearly 90% of them support the project’s return to Spain,” stated Scott. “We voluntarily offered to extend pausing orb operations in the country.”

The survey was conducted via the World App in May. According to the statement, more than 21,000 verified users of all genders and socioeconomic backgrounds completed the survey.