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Worldcoin, which launched on Monday, requires users to provide
their iris scans in exchange for a digital ID and in certain
countries free cryptocurrency. Its website says it has signed up
2.1 million people, mostly in a trial over the last two years.
Worldcoin has set up sign-up sites in various locations around
the world, where people can get their faces scanned by a shiny
spherical "orb".
Britain's data regulator said this week it will make enquiries
about Worldcoin following its launch.
CNIL, the French watchdog, said in response to a Reuters
question on Worldcoin "The legality of this collection seems
questionable, as do the conditions for storing biometric data."
The CNIL's email response to Reuters said it had initiated
investigations, which revealed that the Bavarian state authority
in Germany has jurisdiction. The Bavarian authority has since
been conducting the investigation, with support from the CNIL,
the watchdog added.
Worldcoin was "designed to protect individual privacy and has
built a robust privacy program" and is committed to ensuring it
meets regulatory requirements, the Worldcoin Foundation said via
email.
The Worldcoin Foundation is a Cayman Islands-based entity which
describes itself as a "steward of the Worldcoin protocol".
"The Worldcoin Foundation complies with all laws and regulations
governing the processing of personal data in the markets where
Worldcoin is available," it said.
The project is supervised in the European Union by the Bavarian
State Office for Data Protection Supervision, the Worldcoin
Foundation said.
"The project will continue to cooperate with governing bodies on
requests for more information about its privacy and data
protection practices," it added.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft; Editing by Amanda Cooper, Jane
Merriman and Louise Heavens)
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