Thousands of teenagers have their iris scans across Europe
Thousands of teenagers have their iris scans across EuropeInsolentiae - Feb 28, 2024
Shopping centers across Europe are currently seeing impressive queues, mostly made up of teenagers, all eager to have their irises scanned.
The reason behind this unusual rush is the proposed Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency that offers periodic payments to participants via a dedicated application.
Although this initiative is attracting more and more young people, it is also raising growing concerns.
Last week, the price of the Worldcoin token saw a significant increase, going from a value close to two euros, where it had stagnated for most of its existence, to more than seven euros. This growth spike coincides with the long queues for iris scans, but it has also aroused concern among many citizens.
According to confirmation from the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD), several complaints related to the processing of Worldcoin data have been filed. These complaints are currently “in the analysis phase”, and no official decision has yet been made regarding the legality and compliance of Worldcoin in Spain.
In France, local regulators have decided to block this initiative, just like in Kenya, Brazil or India, due to concerns related to privacy. Behind Worldcoin is the company Tools for Humanity, co-founded by Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. »
Ricardo Macieira, the European regional manager at Tools for Humanity, explains that iris scanning is the most foolproof method of verifying our identity as human beings. The goal of the application is to create a global identification system, based on an element as unique and valuable as the iris. However, the company assures that it does not seek to know the real identity of the person behind the scanned iris. »
Something is happening that remains quite unclear regarding Tools for Humanity. “In Spain, Worldcoin recorded a peak of 10.000 weekly registrations in November 2023. Currently, it has 360.000 verified users. Registration takes place through more than 20 stands distributed in the most popular shopping centers in cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Malaga or Bilbao. »
The registration volumes are impressive and it is legitimate to wonder what Tools for Humanity will do with all this data and all these irises.
When we know that the creator of this thing is also the boss of Chat GPT, the most famous artificial intelligence, there is reason to be worried.
