Germany's data protection authority orders Worldcoin to implement a data deletion process that meets GDPR standards

Worldcoin, designed by Sam Altman, also a co-founder of OpenAI, proposes a global digital identification system based on iris scanning.

Germany's data protection authority has ordered some corrective measures against Worldcoin (WLD) over its handling of users' biometric data.

Worldcoin, founded by Sam Altman, co-founder of OpenAI, is proposing a global digital identification system based on iris scanning. The idea is to create a kind of universal “digital passport”, but the collection of biometric data has generated a lot of controversy and privacy concerns in several countries.

The Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervisory Authority (BayLDA) has ordered Worldcoin to implement a data deletion process that meets the regulation's rigorous standards after a thorough investigation into the project’s compliance with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The order, released on December 19, gives the company one month from the effective date of the ruling to comply.

In response to the decision, Worldcoin highlighted its progress over the past 12 months, emphasizing that: “For this reason, the results of the BayLDA investigation are largely related to outdated operations and technologies, which were already replaced in 2024.”

For the project, the BayLDA decision illustrates the urgent need to establish a precise and consistent definition of anonymization in the European Union (EU) that is “capable of ensuring the protection of personal data in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Currently, the GDPR does not provide this clarity, and both the World Foundation and collaborator Tools for Humanity (TFH) believe it is essential that this issue be addressed quickly to ensure that laws and regulations protect the privacy of EU citizens while enabling technologies, including AI, trained with EU data to respect their culture and norms.”

It is worth remembering that Worldcoin announced, on June 29, 2023, the launch of registrations for its World ID in Germany, bringing its “Sign in with Worldcoin” tool to Okta's Auth0, an authentication platform.

The situation in Germany adds another chapter to the Worldcoin saga regarding data privacy. The project has already faced questions and even bans in other countries, raising serious doubts about its long-term viability, at least in its current form.