- The media has learned that Germany’s data security regulator is investigating Worldcoin.
- Before that, the organization came under scrutiny from authorities in the UK and France.
The Bavarian State Data Protection Supervisory Authority (BayLDA) has been investigating Worldcoin since 2022. The regulator’s chairman, Michael Will, was quoted by Reuters as saying.
The investigation was prompted by the agency’s concerns that the project was aimed at “processing sensitive data on a huge scale.”
While Tools For Humanity, the parent company of Worldcoin, has a subsidiary in Germany, the regulator is not overstepping its authority, Will stressed.
“These technologies, at least at first glance, have not been analyzed or adequately designed for their primary purpose of processing and transmitting financial data,” the publication quoted Will as saying.
Will said there are at least a few potential risks that “alarm” the agency. One of them is whether Worldcoin users’ choice to share their biometric data is due to sufficiently clear and truthful information.
We previously reported that authorities in the UK and France were interested in the project. In both cases, the reason for the possible investigation is the organization’s internal policies regarding data security controls.
In comments to Reuters, a Worldcoin Foundation spokesman said the project team is cooperating with authorities in Europe. In doing so, the protocol allegedly remains completely secure and transparent.
The protocol allegedly remains completely secure and transparent.