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- Portugal data regulator CNPD has asked Worldcoin to halt activities for 90 days.
- Worldcoin also recently received a similar order in Spain.
Worldcoin is in the news again, this time due to regulatory orders in Portugal.
On March 26, Reuters reported that Portugal’s data regulator CNPD had ordered Worldcoin to halt all activity related to collection of biometric data in the country.
The AI related project, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, should not collect any data for the next 90 days, CNPD ordered, with the move pegged on privacy concerns that have plagued Worldcoin’s operations in several countries since its launch in July 2023.
Worldcoin data collection raises concerns
According to Reuters, the crackdown on Worldcoin in Portugal relates to concerns over high risk to collected data, which stands at over 300,000 people across the country.
Amid the need for data protection, the regulator also cited multiple complaints filed in February alleging unauthorised data collection from minors.
There are also concerns that the project, which requires people to scan their iris for a digital ID and the native crypto WLD, does not provide adequate information to those that join the project. It’s also not possible to erase data or for people to withdraw their consent, the regulator noted.
Portugal’s move comes weeks after Spain also halted Worldcoin’s activities in the country for three months. The project has also faced hurdles in the UK, France and Kenya, which suspended all Worldcoin activities last August.
WLD price
Despite today’s news, WLD price traded higher. The token’s value reached highs of $9.43 as Bitcoin rose to above $71k. At the time of writing, WLD traded at around $8.83, up more than 12% in the past week.