Thailand Orders Worldcoin to Delete 1.2 Million Biometric Records
Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Committee directed Worldcoin to halt local operations and erase all iris scan data after finding its token-for-biometric exchange violated national privacy laws.
On Nov. 25, Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Committee ordered Worldcoin, co-founded by Sam Altman, to delete around 1.2 million locally collected iris scan records and cease its operations in the country. Regulators concluded that exchanging WLD tokens for biometric data contravenes Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act. Following the directive, crypto exchanges Binance, Bitkub, and Orbix issued warnings to traders. M Vision, Worldcoin’s local contractor, opposed the data deletion, claiming it could result in user losses of about $31 million.
- Biometric data: Personal information obtained from unique physical characteristics, such as fingerprints or iris scans, used for identification.
- Worldcoin: A cryptocurrency project by Sam Altman that uses iris scans for identity verification and distributes tokens to participants.
- Personal Data Protection Act (Thailand): The legal framework in Thailand regulating the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data, including biometric information.