Spain has banned Worldcoin for up to three months, drawing a sharp rebuke from Sam Altman’s company, amid perceived privacy risks from the venture which scans irises in exchange for a digital ID and free cryptocurrency.
Spanish data protection regulator AEPD said on Wednesday it demanded Worldcoin immediately cease the collection of personal information and stop using data it has already gathered.
Worldcoin said in response to the ban that the AEPD was “circumventing EU law” and “spreading inaccurate and misleading claims about our technology”.
The AEPD said its action came after several complaints regarding insufficient information, the collection of data from minors or not allowing for the withdrawal of consent.
More than 4 million people in 120 countries have signed up to have their irises scanned by Worldcoin’s “orb” devices, according to its website. But the project has drawn criticism from privacy campaigners from Argentina to Germany over the collection, storage and use of personal data.
Worldcoin’s Data Protection Officer Jannick Preiwisch said in a statement that efforts to engage with AEPD had gone unanswered for months,
“We are grateful to now have the opportunity to help them better understand the important facts regarding this essential and lawful technology,” Preiwisch said.