Colombia’s Consumer Protection Watchdog Investigates Worldcoin

Colombia’s Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC) has accused the biometric cryptocurrency project, Worldcoin, and its company, Tools for Humanity, of potentially violating the country’s personal data protection laws.

“The purpose of the proceedings is to determine whether the parties under investigation have infringed the Colombian personal data protection regime in the collection of sensitive personal data,” the SIC stated in a Wednesday announcement.

If found guilty, penalties could include fines, sanctions, or even a six-month suspension of Worldcoin’s operations, with a possibility of immediate closure for sensitive data use.

Worldcoin, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, assigns “World IDs” to individuals through iris scans on an Orb device to verify identity. Participants receive cryptocurrency in the form of WLD tokens. The project claims to have registered over 6.5 million users globally.

Launched in Colombia in June, Worldcoin operates its Orb devices in 25 locations across seven cities, including the capital, Bogotá.

The Block contacted Worldcoin for their input on the matter.

The collection of iris data has faced scrutiny from regulatory bodies worldwide. While Worldcoin allowed users to control their iris data starting in March, Hong Kong has banned its operations in the region.