PARIS: France’s data watchdog carried out “checks” at Worldcoin’s Paris office this week, amid global regulatory pressure on the digital currency firm co-founded by ChatGPT-founder Sam Altman.
France’s CNIL watchdog said in July it was investigating Worldcoin as the legality of its biometric data “seemed questionable”.
“Checks took place at the Worldcoin offices,” a CNIL spokesperson said confirming a report that the visit took place on Wednesday but declined to give any further details.
Worldcoin requires users to provide their iris scans in exchange for a digital ID and, in some countries, in exchange for free cryptocurrency. Its website says it has signed up 2.1 million people, mostly in a trial over the last two years.
The Worldcoin Foundation, a Cayman Islands-based entity, said in a statement: “The team at Worldcoin welcomes any opportunity to address questions regarding the project’s purpose and technology.”
In response to CNIL’s initial July probe, the Worldcoin Foundation said Worldcoin was designed to protect individual privacy, had built a robust privacy programme, and was committed to meeting regulatory requirements.
OpenAI, the company which has created ChatGPT, is backed by Microsoft.
What is Worldcoin?
Worldcoin is an Ethereum-based cryptocurrency token rolled out by Tools for Humanity, a company founded by Alex Blania and OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman.
The project was launched in May 2023 and recorded over 2 million signups by July 14. Altman aims to have 2 billion users, a quarter of the global human population, as its members.
The company plans to share tokens with its users. The Worldcoin Token can be traded globally like any other cryptocurrency on various crypto exchanges.
Binance, one of the leading crypto exchanges, has already confirmed that it will list the “WLD” token. Aside from Binance, Bybit, Huobi, OKX, and Gate crypto exchanges have also listed the token.
Worldcoin is an Ethereum-based cryptocurrency token rolled out by Tools for Humanity, a company founded by Alex Blania and OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman.
The project was launched in May 2023 and recorded over 2 million signups by July 14. Altman aims to have 2 billion users, a quarter of the global human population, as its members.
The company plans to share tokens with its users. The Worldcoin Token can be traded globally like any other cryptocurrency on various crypto exchanges.
Binance, one of the leading crypto exchanges, has already confirmed that it will list the “WLD” token. Aside from Binance, Bybit, Huobi, OKX, and Gate crypto exchanges have also listed the token.
