Thailand Halts Worldcoin After Ordering Deletion of 1.2 Million Biometric Records
Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Committee has issued a suspension order against TIDC Worldverse, a company linked to the Worldcoin project, effectively halting its operations nationwide. Regulators determined that the project’s use of iris-scanning technology posed an unacceptable risk to citizens’ biometric privacy.Worldcoin, recently rebranded under Sam Altman's World initiative, has long been criticized for collecting highly sensitive data through its “Orb” devices - chrome spheres designed to capture detailed iris patterns in exchange for digital identity tokens. Thai authorities now argue that the program violates core data-protection principles and exposes citizens to cross-border data transfer risks.
Regulators demand deletion of 1.2 million biometric profiles
One of the most significant parts of the order compels the company to delete biometric data belonging to roughly 1.2 million people. Officials say the move is necessary to prevent the information from being transmitted abroad, where Thai regulators would lose jurisdiction and oversight.The committee emphasized that iris data is among the most sensitive categories of personal information, making misuse or unauthorized access potentially irreversible. Once compromised, biological identifiers cannot be changed like a password, which heightens the risk associated with large-scale biometric databases.
Growing international backlash against Worldcoin
Thailand is far from the only nation raising concerns. Regulators across multiple regions - including Europe, Latin America and parts of Asia - have either restricted or are actively considering restrictions on Worldcoin’s operations. In total, eleven countries have now expressed formal worries about the project’s privacy practices, transparency and long-term data-governance model.Investigations in several jurisdictions focus on the fundamental concept behind Worldcoin: linking a person’s digital identity to a biometric signature stored and verified through a centralized system. Critics argue that this creates a single point of failure and risks enabling mass surveillance or unauthorized profiling on a global scale.
Why Thailand acted now
Thai regulators said the suspension was triggered by escalating uncertainties over how Worldverse handles, stores and transmits biometric scans. Concerns intensified after legal reviews suggested that the company might not fully comply with the country’s data-protection framework, including requirements related to informed consent, retention limits and safe international transfers.Authorities framed the move as a preventive step: halting Worldcoin operations before any potential breach or misuse could occur. They stressed that the long-term safety of citizen data outweighs experimental digital-identity programs that rely on irreversible biometric collection.
The future of biometric crypto-identity projects
The Worldcoin controversy comes at a moment when global interest in decentralized digital identity is growing. However, Thailand’s crackdown reinforces a broader pattern: governments are increasingly unwilling to allow large tech organizations to gather biometric data without rigorous safeguards and transparent oversight.Unless Worldcoin significantly alters its data-handling model, more countries may adopt similar restrictions. Privacy regulators worldwide are signaling that digital identity systems must prioritize user rights and limit sensitive data collection - not expand it.
Editorial Team - CoinBotLab
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