Colombia accuses Worldcoin of data protection violations

Colombia’s watchdog, the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC), has put Worldcoin in the hot seat. The decentralized identity project, backed by the company Tools for Humanity, is being accused of playing fast and loose with Colombia’s data protection laws. 

Worldcoin has its Orb devices already operating in 25 locations, including the capital city Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena, and Barranquilla.

The SIC’s main beef ? They want to know if Worldcoin and Tools for Humanity are following Colombia’s personal data protection rules, especially when it comes to how they’re collecting and processing sensitive information from people.

So, what’s at stake here? Well, if Worldcoin is found guilty of breaching Colombia’s data protection laws, they could be looking at some serious consequences.

The SIC has the power to hit Worldcoin with economic sanctions, which could hurt their wallets big time. But that’s not all. The SIC could also decide to shut down Worldcoin’s operations in Colombia for six months or, if things get really ugly, pull the plug on them permanently.

Colombia isn’t the first country to give Worldcoin a hard time. Let’s take a look at Kenya. Back in July 2023, the Kenyan government slammed the brakes on Worldcoin’s operations. The reason? Concerns over data protection, of course. 

The Kenyans weren’t too thrilled about how Worldcoin was handling the biometric data they’d collected from over a million users. The government feared that this data could be misused, leading to a suspension of the project.

Fast forward to March this year, and Spain decided to join the club. The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) had its own set of worries about Worldcoin’s practices. 

They put a temporary ban on the project, freezing its activities while they demanded more information about how the company was dealing with the biometric data it had gathered. 

Spain wasn’t about to let things slide until Worldcoin came clean about their data handling processes.

Argentina has also been giving Worldcoin the side-eye. While there hasn’t been an official ban, there’s been plenty of pushback. 

Critics in Argentina argue that Worldcoin is taking advantage of vulnerable populations, and they’re calling on the government to step in and protect its citizens from potential data exploitation.