Multiple European countries are investigating OpenAI's Sam Altman for his eye-scanning crypto

Germany has revealed that it has been conducting a quiet investigation into Worldcoin, a new iris-scanning cryptocurrency venture led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. This brings the total number of European investigations into the project to three, suggesting potential challenges in terms of regulatory compliance.

The Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision, Germany’s data watchdog, confirmed its investigation into Worldcoin since November 2022, citing concerns about the venture accessing sensitive data on a large scale.

Worldcoin, officially launched recently, has spent the past two years scanning irises globally to create a database linking human identity to biometric data, aiming to verify users as humans in the era of artificial intelligence.

Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have all initiated investigations into Worldcoin. In the United States, the project has declined to pay users for their eye scans, citing regulatory issues.

Critics have raised concerns about the project’s practices. Reporters from Futurism and Gizmodo noted that participants were not required to provide prior identification or verification of their identity during iris scanning. Trial participants in developing countries expressed feeling cheated by the exchange. Additionally, it remains unclear whether individuals can request the removal of their data from the company’s database due to the involvement of blockchain technology.

Worldcoin has circulated a white paper claiming that two independent firms have confirmed its security regarding data privacy, leaks, and information integrity. However, even Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, whose blockchain hosts Worldcoin, and European data watchdogs remain unconvinced about the readiness of this “proof-of-personhood” project.

Buterin expressed concerns that if one Orb manufacturer were malicious or hacked, it could generate fake iris scan hashes and create counterfeit World IDs.

Until more information is available about Worldcoin’s operations and data practices, skepticism remains prevalent.