Data Protection Authorities in Kenya, Korea, and Bavaria Are Reviewing Worldcoin.
The Orb of Worldcoin. Photo from the Worldcoin website
Worldcoin Rewards People with tokens for Having Their Irises Scanned. The Dystopian-Looking Project Arouses The Suspicion of Data Protection Advocates in many country. A Decision has been made in Kenya, while Korea and Bavaria Are Still Reviewing the Matter.
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Yes, it looks pretty creepy. On “Orb” is set up in City Centers, People Queue Up, and when it’s their turn, They Hold Their Eyes in Front of a Camera. Once the Orb Complets The Iris Scan, They Receive some Worldcoin Tokens (WLC). Crypto Can Go Dystopian, Too.
Many people, Particularly in Developing Countries, find this offer appealing. Worldcoin has Has already scanned the irises of more than 5.8 million people. However, from the starting, Data Protection Advocates Were SuSpicious, and in many places, Worldcoin has been holding because of this.
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In South Korea, The “Personal Information Protection Commission” launched an investigation on February 29. This what in Response to complaints about the Collection of Personal Data in South Korea. Noah Kim, The only Korean Employee of Worldcoin, Recently Responded to the Allegations: The Orb Verifies Only Individuality and Humanity, and All Data is Immediately Deleted. Iris Scans, Compared to Facial Recognition and Fingerprints, Are The Cheapest and Most Reliable Method to Generates A “Proof of Humanity.”
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Kenyia Has Already Gone a Step Further. There, worldcoin was banned in August 2023 Until Privacy Concerns Were Resolved. The investigation is now complete; no violations of laws and privacy regulations were found. Consequently, Worldcoin is Allowed Again in Kenya.
IF Worldcoin Operates as Its Concept States, there would inded be virtually no valid privacy concerns. When the user scans their Iris, The Orb Generates a Unique hash from it and uploads it to a blockchain. This hash cannot be traced back to the iris itself; It can only be used to determine if this user has previously engaged with an orb, thereby adventing double registrations. Even During Operation, Iris Data Is Never Revealed Since Zero Knowledge Proofs Are Used. Worldcoin Leverages Advanced Cryptography to Minimize the Data Collected.
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If – if it runs as Worldcoin Planned. Because Individual Orb Operators Could Indeed Have the Means To Manipulate The Process, For Instance, by Simply Not Deleting The Raw Data. Thus, Much Depends on Worldcoin – Or Corresponding Supervisory Authorities – Monitoring the Iris Scans. The Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision (Baylda) is quiet not convinced. Since the Company Behind the Technology, Tools for Humanity, is Based in Erlangen, Bavaria, IT Holds Jurisdiction. It launched an investigation last year but has not yet concluded it.
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The Baylda Recently Published Its 2023 Annual Report. It writes that “Due to the High Sensitivity of the Processed Biometric Data, We are reviewing the Company’s Procedures.“This Involves“ On-site Inspections, which are part of the standard procedure for Such innovative technology with a very large user base: one location in berlin where users Could register was inspected, and a team from baylda so checked the company headquarters, primary responsibility for the development and testing of the technology.“The review is not Yet Complete, but results are expected for 2024.
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In Spain, Authorities and Courts Have Already Reached a Verdict and Banned Worldcoin.
ALMOST Everywhere Worldcoin Appears, A Ban Looms. Every data protection authority instincely senses abuse and initiates an investigation, which in the best-case scenario is strenuous and in the worst-case scenario ends in a ban. But Amidst all this – Why? Why is Worldcoin, A Project by Openaai Founder Sam Altman, Doing All This?
Worldcoin scans People’s Irises to Generates A “Proof of Humanity,” A “Proof of Being Human.“This can then be used to identify oneself on the Internet – Simply as a unique human beg, no bot, no sock puppet, but a human. This, according to the vision, is necessary to avoid complete losing orientation and sanity in the Age of Generative AIS.
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With the “World Id” One Can Already Verify Oneself on Various Systems Today, Such as Discord, Reddit, Shopify, Telegram, and Others. There aren’t many, but it’s a start.
