French data protection regulator CNIL is investigating Worldcoin (WLD), the crypto project launched by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, for questionable practices. CNIL has initiated investigations, supporting the work of Bavarian privacy regulators who have primary responsibility under EU law.
The legality of this [data] collection seems questionable, as do the conditions for preservation of biometric data, a CNIL spokesperson said in a written statement, referring to Worldcoin’s practice of scanning retinas to ensure that no single person can claim crypto rewards twice.
The project has drawn the ire of privacy watchdogs in the U.K., where the Information Commissioner’s Office has warned that people must freely give consent to the processing of their personal data, and be able to withdraw it without detriment. The Worldcoin Foundation has stated that it complies with the EU’s law on biometric data collection and transfer, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and continues to assess local regulations to ensure compliance.
The Bavarian data protection regulator has not responded to CoinDesk requests for further comment about the nature of its investigation. Reuters reported on the probe earlier.
At the time of publication, WLD tokens were trading up 1.5% over 24 hours at $2.19.