Worldcoin Faces Challenges in Indonesia After Local Regulators Temporarily Suspended Its Registration Certificates

Sam Altman’s digital identity project faces challenges in Indonesia as local regulators have suspended the registration certificates for OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s digital identity project, World, formerly known as Worldcoin.

The Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Digital (Komdigi) has halted the Electronic System Operator Certificate Registration (TDPSE) for World and World ID due to suspicious activity and the alleged violation of registration rules, the ministry announced on May 4.

After the suspension, Komdigi plans to summon World’s local subsidiaries, PT Terang Bulan Abadi and PT Sandina Abadi Nusantara, to provide clarification on the alleged violations.

According to a preliminary investigation, World’s PT Terang Bulan Abadi was allegedly operating without TDPSE, while PT Sandina Abadi Nusantara — the subsidiary World was using for providing its services — is allegedly involved in legal misrepresentation.

The statement by Komdigi reads: “We highlight that all digital service providers in Indonesia are required to undergo electronic system operator certificate registration, according to applicable regulations. In addition, using another entity’s registration is a major violation of the applicable provisions in the ministerial regulation on the management of the electronic system operator certificate.”

“Worldcoin services are recorded using TDPSE in the name of another legal entity, namely PT Sandina Abadi Nusantara, to provide services to users in Indonesia. This action violates the provisions of the applicable law, and has the potential to deceive the community.”

The move to suspend World’s activities in Indonesia comes with the goal of preventing potential risks to the community, Komdigi’s director general for digital supervision Alexander Sabar said.

“We at Komdigi are committed to overseeing the digital ecosystem fairly and strictly to ensure the safety and benefit of the national digital space. This supervision also requires active participation from the community,” Sabar added.

“We invite the public to help maintain a safe and trusted digital space for all citizens. Komdigi also appeals to the public to remain vigilant against unauthorized digital services, and to immediately report suspected violations through the official public complaint channel.”

The community response has been mixed, with some Reddit users expressing support for the move by Komdigi.

“Good job Indonesia — at least somebody is standing up to that scam,” one user wrote.

However, others highlighted that the project might be beneficial for the general public in Indonesia.

“If giving up your iris biometrics means you can feed your loved ones for a few weeks, that might be a trade worth making. In the end, it all depends on what matters most to you,” another user noted.

World’s latest news from Indonesia follows the project’s May 2025 debut in the United States, with the platform launching its digital identity tech in six cities.

A number of global regulators have been pushing back on World’s operations since its launch in July 2023, with governments like Germany, Kenya and Brazil expressing concerns over potential risks to the security of biometric data passed by users.