coinspress.com
An investigation has been launched into a crypto project in France shortly after its launch and attracting over two million users.
The project, known as Worldcoin (WLD), is facing scrutiny from France’s privacy watchdog, the CNIL, due to concerns surrounding the legality of its biometric data collection method using iris-scanning orbs.
Notably, Worldcoin was co-founded by Sam Altman from Open AI. CNIL has expressed doubts about the legality of Worldcoin’s data collection practices and the storage conditions for the biometric data.
However, the Worldcoin Foundation has defended its protocol, prioritizing individual privacy and adhering to current regulatory requirements. They claim that a new person is verified approximately every eight seconds, showing a high demand for the platform.
To protect user privacy, Worldcoin employs zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), which are cryptographic techniques to verify data’s authenticity without revealing the actual data itself. This approach prevents cross-application tracking and ensures privacy for users.
In addition to the investigation in France, Worldcoin previously faced inquiries from a UK watchdog for similar concerns.