The French data protection agency, also called the Commission Nationale Informatique & Libertés (CNIL), is reportedly questioning the legality of data collection methods conducted by Worldcoin, according to a Reuters report.
In an email to Reuters on July 28, CNIL said:
“The legality of this collection seems questionable, as do the conditions for storing biometric data.”
CNIL also stated in the email to Reuters that it had initiated investigations and has been supporting the efforts of the Bavarian state authority in Germany with its investigation into the subject matter.
OpenAI, the company behind the popular artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT, launched Worldcoin on June 24. The initative requires users to provide a scan of their iris in exchange for a digital ID and free cryptocurrency.
According to the company’s website, 2.1 million people have already signed up with the project, though mostly during the trial period throughout the course of the last two years.
The company claimed in a post on X that since its official launch, “a unique human is now verifying their World ID every 7.6 seconds & new records are being set daily.”
Since Worldcoin launched, proof of personhood demand has surged. On average, a unique human is now verifying their World ID every 7.6 seconds & new records are being set daily.
Thank you for your patience with the project as more work is done to better meet worldwide demand. pic.twitter.com/gPmr0oQWCR
Worldcoin has posted photos on X of its orbs in various cities across the world since its launch on Monday, including Seoul, South Korea, Mexico City, Mexico and Paris, France.
Despite all the hype, Worldcoin has received mixed reactions from the crypto community. Some users pointed out the potential failures due to its centralization, while others say proof-of-personhood is necessary with the increasing presence of AI.
Additional reports have surfaced claiming that after its launch Worldcoin has struggled to recruit new sign-ups, with the three designated locations in Hong Kong only seeing around 200 sign-ups on the first day, and a total of 600 overall.
However, the next day Sam Altman, the company’s co-founder, rebutted the claims by posting a video on X of a long queue of people in Japan waiting to complete iris scans.
The US is seeking the forfeiture of 20.2 BTC seized by the Dallas FBI from the Chaos ransomware group, adding to the country’s proposed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
Donald Trump has reignited his row with London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan after calling him a “nasty person” who has done “a terrible job”.
During an hour-long news conference with Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland, the US president hit out at the Labour mayor, who has responded with his own snipey remarks.
Asked if he would visit London during his state visit in September, Mr Trump said: “I will, I’m not a fan of your mayor, I think he’s done a terrible job.
“A nasty person, I think.”
The prime minister then interrupted and said: “He’s a friend of mine.”
But the president added: “I think he’s done a terrible job but I will certainly visit London, I hope so.”
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Sir Sadiq’s spokesperson then released a statement saying: “Sadiq is delighted that President Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world.
“He’d see how our diversity makes us stronger not weaker; richer, not poorer.
“Perhaps these are the reasons why a record number of Americans have applied for British citizenship under his presidency.”
Image: Sir Sadiq Khan was knighted in June. Pic: PA
They noted that Sir Sadiq has won three mayoral elections, including when Mr Trump lost the US election in 2020.
This is not the first time Mr Trump and Sir Sadiq have locked horns.
Sir Sadiq then described Mr Trump as a “poster boy for racists”.
And in November 2024, after Mr Trump won his second term, Sir Sadiq said many Londoners would be “fearful” about what it would “mean for democracy”.
However, as Sir Keir tried to show diplomacy with Mr Trump after becoming PM, Sir Sadiq said he “wanted to work closely with the American president” ahead of his inauguration in January.
The London mayor said as somebody “who believes in democracy, and voting and elections, we should recognise the fact that Donald Trump is the elected president of the United States”.
But he added: “Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this president is different from the last time he was president.”