Worldcoin Extends Suspension in Spain Amid GDPR Audit
Worldcoin will continue to halt operations in Spain through the end of 2024 or 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.
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.
“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
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