Worldcoin halts operations in Spain for now

The AI crypto project Worldcoin is suspected of violating data protection guidelines. It is currently under investigation in the European Union. As a first consequence, Tools for Humanity, the company behind Worldcoin, is now suspending its business operations in Spain. This is according to a press release from the Spanish data protection authority AEPD.

The order was issued back in March. Tools for Humanity has now implemented it. Specifically, the company is no longer allowed to collect and process personal data in Spain. The starting point in Europe was an investigation by the Bavarian state criminal investigation office for data protection supervision last summer. The investigations are still ongoing.

No one knows exactly "how much Iris data is left in the system," Michael Will, president of the Bavarian state data protection supervisory agency (LDA), said in an interview.

Business operations in Spain will be suspended until the end of the year unless the Bavarian State Criminal Investigation Office completes its investigation before then. But Worldcoin is also under pressure outside the European Union. In late May, the project had to cease operations in Hong Kong.