French privacy watchdog questions Worldcoin’s data collection method: Report

French data protection agency CNIL said it finds the legality of Worldcoin’s collection methods “questionable” alongside the conditions for storing the data.

The French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL), France’s data protection agency, is questioning the legality of Worldcoin’s data collection methods, according to a Reuters report.

In an email to Reuters on July 28, CNIL said:

“The legality of this collection seems questionable, as do the conditions for storing biometric data.”

CNIL also stated that it had initiated investigations and had been supporting the efforts of the Bavarian state authority in Germany with its investigation into the matter.

Reuters also reported on July 25 that Worldcoin may face inquiries from data regulators in the United Kingdom post-launch.

OpenAI, the company behind the popular artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT, launched Worldcoin on June 24. The initiative requires users to provide a scan of their iris in exchange for a digital ID and free cryptocurrency.

According to the company’s website, 2.1 million people have already signed up with the project, though mostly during the trial period throughout the course of the last two years.

The company claimed in a post on Twitter (which is rebranding to X) that since its official launch, “a unique human is now verifying their World ID every 7.6 seconds & new records are being set daily.”

Since Worldcoin launched, proof of personhood demand has surged. On average, a unique human is now verifying their World ID every 7.6 seconds & new records are being set daily.

Thank you for your patience with the project as more work is done to better meet worldwide demand. pic.twitter.com/gPmr0oQWCR

— Worldcoin (@worldcoin) July 28, 2023

Worldcoin has posted photos on Twitter of its orbs in various cities across the world since its launch on July 24, including Seoul, Mexico City and Paris.

Despite the hype, Worldcoin has received mixed reactions from the crypto community. Some users pointed out the potential failures due to its centralization, while others say proof-of-personhood is necessary with the increasing presence of AI.

Additional reports have surfaced claiming that since its launch, Worldcoin has struggled to recruit new sign-ups, with the three designated locations in Hong Kong only seeing around 200 sign-ups on the first day for a total of 600 overall.

However, the next day, co-founder Sam Altman rebutted the claims by posting a video of a long line of people in Japan waiting to complete iris scans.

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