Sam Altman—Worldcoin iris-scanning project banned or investigated in 14+ countries for privacy violations
Sam Altman co-founded Worldcoin (rebranded to 'World' in 2024), a cryptocurrency project that scans people's irises in exchange for crypto tokens. The project faced massive global regulatory backlash: banned in Spain, Portugal, Hong Kong, Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia; fined in South Korea ($830K) and Argentina ($200K); ordered to delete millions of biometric records in Germany, Kenya, and Thailand. Violations included: scanning minors' irises, failing to obtain informed consent, targeting vulnerable low-income populations with cash incentives, storing biometric data improperly, and deceptive marketing practices. A 2022 MIT Technology Review investigation found the company used deceptive practices and 'collected more personal data than it acknowledged.'
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| User Privacy | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -1.180 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (1 signal)
Worldcoin iris-scanning project banned or investigated in 14+ countries for privacy violations
Sam Altman co-founded Worldcoin (rebranded to 'World' in 2024), a cryptocurrency project that scans people's irises in exchange for crypto tokens. The project faced massive global regulatory backlash: banned in Spain, Portugal, Hong Kong, Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia; fined in South Korea ($830K) and Argentina ($200K); ordered to delete millions of biometric records in Germany, Kenya, and Thailand. Violations included: scanning minors' irises, failing to obtain informed consent, targeting vulnerable low-income populations with cash incentives, storing biometric data improperly, and deceptive marketing practices. A 2022 MIT Technology Review investigation found the company used deceptive practices and 'collected more personal data than it acknowledged.'