Hundreds of young people form queues in shopping centers throughout Spain to have their iris scanned. In exchange, they will receive cryptocurrencies periodically through an application. It is the Worldcoin proposal, which is attracting more and more people. And also generating more concern.
Last week the Worldcoin token skyrocketed in price, going from having a value close to two euros, where it had remained for almost its entire history, to more than seven euros. This growth coincides with the long queues formed to scan the iris, but it has also put several citizens on alert.
Concern about long lines
As confirmed by the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) to SamaGame, “several complaints related to the processing of Worldcoin data” have been received.
These complaints are currently “in the analysis phase”, so at the moment no official decision has been made on the legality and suitability of Worldcoin in Spain.
In nearby countries such as France, local regulators have made the decision to block this initiative. Also in countries like Kenya, Brazil or India, due to concerns about privacy.
Behind Worldcoin is the company Tools for Humanity, co-founded by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.
Among the criticisms of Worldcoin is that one of the profiles interested in scanning their irises in exchange for cryptocurrencies are young people. According to several users on social networks, minors would be found in the queues. It is not clear that they were able to register with Worldcoin, although it should be noted that the age of consent for the use of personal data is 16 years and older.
Hello @apropcornella, there is no way that the positions that come with high-risk investments with @worldcoin are dedicated to capturing minors in the public space (Splau) with total impunity. pic.twitter.com/y8zUC6V5ke
— Mario Macías (@MaciasUpc) November 28, 2023
According to Ricardo Macieira, director for Europe at Worldcoin, iris scanning is the most foolproof method to verify that we are human. What the application seeks is to create a global identification system, based on data as unique and valid as the iris.
In Spain, Worldcoin had more than 150,000 registered users, with 20,000 new ones every month. Registration is carried out through stands distributed in the most popular shopping centers in cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Málaga or Bilbao.
At the privacy level, Worldcoin defends that “after registration, all images are deleted immediately. They never leave the Orb’s RAM.” The doubts that this initiative generates are not so much about how Worldcoin manages privacy, but rather the fact that having a record of the iris of millions of people is a huge risk vector at security level. An entire database that in the hands of cybercriminals could pose a serious problem.
