German Regulatory Authority Orders Worldcoin to Remove Human Eyeball Biometric Data

BlockBeats News, December 20th, according to TheBlock, the Bavarian Data Protection Authority in Germany has ordered Worldcoin's human verification project to delete biometric data collected through iris scanning. Worldcoin has stated that it has changed its process, and the findings of the German regulatory agency "largely concerned 'outdated practices and technology' that have been updated for 2024."

The Bavarian Data Protection Supervisory Authority concluded its investigation, which began in April 2023, and stated in a Wednesday statement: "Worldcoin is obligated to provide a deletion procedure in accordance with GDPR within one month of the decision taking effect, and to delete certain data records previously collected without sufficient legal basis."

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that measures have been taken in recent months to address regulatory concerns, including transitioning to a system where Worldcoin no longer stores biometric data. To comply with GDPR requirements, the iris codes used to verify individual World IDs will no longer be stored, and previously collected iris codes will be voluntarily deleted to ensure that personal data used to operate World IDs are not retained.