Altman himself may be calm about OpenAI, but his second project – World (formerly Worldcoin) – is once again making regulators dizzy. This time, Thailand was targeted, where local authorities decided to check what was really happening in iris scanning centers.
Raid on Worldcoin facility in Thailand
The Securities Commission of Thailand (SEC) together with the Cybercrime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) carried out a coordinated action on Friday. Objective? Iris scanning center associated with WLD token exchange services – the native cryptocurrency of the World project.
For the uninitiated: WLD is a token that users receive in exchange for verifying their identity by scanning their iris in special devices called “orbs”. According to World itself, the platform manages as many as 102 orb locations in Thailand. An impressive number for a country that (as it turns out) has some doubts about the legality of the entire project.
License problem
The Thai authorities do not hide their accusations. The SEC and CCIB found that the WLD exchange service provider potentially violated local digital asset laws by operating without the required license. This is no small thing:
investigators arrested the suspects for committing the crime, in accordance with further appropriate enforcement proceedings.”
– we read in the official statement.
World, meanwhile, boasts that it only distributes WLD tokens in jurisdictions “where regulations allow.” The platform notes that eligibility for tokens is limited by geography, age and other factors. Moreover, the company disclaims responsibility for the availability of WLD on third-party platforms, including centralized or decentralized exchanges. Comfortable.
A global wave of controversy
Thailand is not the first or last place where Worldcoin has raised concerns. In May this year, the Indonesian Ministry of Digital Affairs initiated an investigation into local platform operators, accusing them of suspicious activity and registration violations. Worldcoin then voluntarily suspended verification services while waiting for clarification of the terms of the relevant licenses and permits.
But the list of countries that viewed Worldcoin with suspicion is much longer. Germany, Kenya and Brazil have all previously expressed concerns about potential security risks to World users’ biometric data. And it’s hardly surprising – iris scanning sounds like something from a dystopian thriller, and not like something that people should willingly agree to in exchange for tokens.
Vision vs. reality
Altman himself promotes World as a future digital identity project – a system that will help distinguish humans from bots in the era of ubiquitous AI. A noble mission, no doubt about it. The problem is that even the most ambitious visions must face mundane legal reality and ethical dilemmas.
Will Worldcoin find a way to reconcile its technological vision with the patchwork of global regulations? Or will the fate of the project be determined by an avalanche of similar raids and bans? Altman now has two fronts to defend, and the one related to cryptocurrencies and biometrics is no easier than its competitors in the AI industry.
