Thailand Orders World to Delete 1.2M Iris Scans as Data Privacy Probe Intensifies

• Thailand orders deletion of over 1.2 million iris scans.
• World halts all operations after PDPC ruling.
• Expert panel rules data-for-crypto model violates Thai law.
• Local exchanges warn users about WLD trading risks.

Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Committee has taken decisive action against World, the digital identity initiative co-founded by Sam Altman. The regulator ordered the removal of more than 1.2 million iris-scan records gathered nationwide and directed the company to halt all operations.

The decision came after an expert panel reviewed whether the platform project violated Thailand’s data protection laws. The investigators determined that using iris scans in exchange for cryptocurrency was against the regulations.

Officials confirmed the suspension earlier this week, though the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has yet to offer additional details. World has stopped its work in Thailand and insists it followed local requirements throughout its rollout.

A representative from Tools for Humanity, the team supporting the project, warned that the pause could impact users who depend on digital identity tools to protect themselves from scams and the growing wave of AI-related fraud.

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International Scrutiny Builds as Global Concerns Intensify

World, previously branded as Worldcoin, aims to create a secure digital identity system by capturing biometric information. The members get WLD tokens in exchange for their iris scans. The use of digital verification, according to the platform, can help reduce cases of fraud on the internet in an AI-dominated world. The approach has, however, raised concerns in different parts of the world.

Regulators in Germany recently concluded that the project breached European data protection rules. There are other authorities in both the EU and Latin America who have raised grievances. The increased scrutiny has partly impacted the price of the WLD token. The token has fallen almost 95% from its peak in March 2024.

Legal Challenges and Market Reactions After Local Raids

The PDPC announcement arrived shortly after authorities raided a World location in Thailand. Some people were arrested over the alleged running of an unlicensed cryptocurrency exchange. The individuals arrested, according to sources with knowledge of the matter, had no link with the company, World, and its parent company.

The controversy has, however, escalated the issue concerning user and company responsibility. An executive from M Vision, the company responsible for installing iris-scanning setups across Thailand, is contesting the order to erase the biometric records.

The executive disagrees that the deletion of scans belonging to 1.2 million people would mean that they would lose $31 million. The major Thai exchanges, Binance, BitKub, and Orbix, have warned traders against the risks they face when trading the token, WLD, whose price sits at around sixty cents and remains under heavy pressure as regulatory actions escalate.

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