- European authorities are worried about the biometric data collection being carried out by WorldCoin.
- Agencies are even questioning the legality and are concerned about the sensitive data.
Sam Altman’s WorldCoin, just after its release on July 25, 2023, is found standing in the crosshairs of European data protection authorities. With this new release, OpenAI’s founder wished to verify humanness by getting people to scan their eyeballs in exchange for the crypto token WLD.
European Data Protection Authorities Raise Concern on Worldcoin
With the advent of generative AI technology, giants like ChatGPT are using it to create human-like images and videos. It is getting harder to distinguish human-generated activities from bot-generated ones. Sam Altman perceived this as an opportunity and released Worldcoin.
Users only have to scan their eyeballs with a special equipment called the Orb. People would go to dedicated centers where the Orb would scan their iris, store them on the blockchain, and provide them with World IDs and WLD tokens. Though Altman and Alex Blania think this would be the next best thing, only time can tell if it is true.
In Europe, biometric data collection through Orb started in a few locations, France, Spain, & Germany. Regulators are concerned about why the company is collecting the data of European citizens. They are already calling for an investigation, and the founders could be called at any time for questioning.
How Do Authorities Plan to Tackle the Situation?
Earlier this week, the United Kingdom’s Information Commission Office (ICO) was probed about the launch of WorldCoin in the U.K. After this incident, the organization made a public comment saying they are making inquiries. They asked for some time to analyze the situation before issuing any boilerplate warning. They remarked:
“Organizations must conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) before starting any processing that is likely to result in high risks, such as processing special category biometric data. Where they identify high risks that they cannot mitigate, they must consult the ICO.”
ICO remarks on the absence of more straightforward laws to process personal data. The emphasis here is on the consent of individuals if they are freely and willingly giving sensitive biometric data away or lured by crypto tokens. The root cause needs to be found out and addressed.
Following the pointers provided by ICO, the French data protection authority, CNIL raised specific corners regarding the situation. The agency is questioning the legality of Worldcoin’s biometric data collection. They are also concerned about the storage of sensitive data. CNIL wants to know about the safety of the data and who would have access to it, among other concerns.
CNIL passed the investigation baton to Bavaria’s DPA when they found that the firm facilitating the data collection “Tools for Humanity” operate in Berlin and San Francisco. The agency will support Bavaria’s DPA in the investigation “under the mutual assistance procedure” of the European Union Law.
What if WorldCoin is Proven Guilty?
The bloc already has a robust General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). As this law works across the European continent, ICO would share the findings. GDPR was created to facilitate a borderless, one-stop shop for data protection and regulation. WorldCoin has one of its leading establishments in Europe. So, the scrutiny falls under GDPR’s jurisdiction.
GDPR has classified biometrics as a particular category of data. Due to its sensitivity, mishandlers and bad actors face the strictest legal processing. As WorldCoin boasts the usage of this data in revolutionizing the world, any mishap or misconduct could land them in deep trouble.