Worldcoin halts operations in Spain as data protection investigation is launched.

The Spanish data protection authority has announced that Worldcoin has agreed to halt its operations in Spain until the end of the year. The decision comes as the Bavarian data protection authority continues to investigate the company’s handling of personal user data. The investigation is expected to conclude soon, with a final decision that will be aligned with all European supervisory authorities. This includes the Spanish authorities, who previously ordered Worldcoin to stop collecting and processing personal data in Spain as part of its Worldcoin project. During this investigation period, Worldcoin has implemented stronger security measures, such as open-sourcing its biometric data system and allowing users to securely delete old iris codes. It has also introduced stricter controls to verify the age of users and the option to remove the iris code. Spain and Germany are not the only countries expressing concerns about Worldcoin. Hong Kong recently ordered the project to halt operations due to its retention of sensitive biometric data for up to 10 years. Despite these regulatory concerns, Worldcoin’s user base continues to grow, reaching 10 million users and 70 million transactions in April 2024. The project has also launched its own “human-centric” blockchain network called World Chain and plans to increase the supply of its token, WLD, in the next six months.