Thai Authorities Order World to Delete 1.2 Million Iris Scans

As reported by HashNews, Thai authorities have formally ordered World, a digital identity project backed by Sam Altman, to halt operations and delete all user identity data, including 1.2 million iris scans from local users. The directive, issued by Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), cited violations of the country's Personal Data Protection Act due to the project's WLD token being linked to biometric data. The order follows a raid in October on World's iris scanning sites and allegations of potential digital asset law violations. World has paused its operations in Thailand and removed Orb locations, but denied any violations. The company claims the suspension negatively affects millions of users relying on its technology to prevent fraud and identity theft. World stated it will continue cooperating with Thai authorities, including MDES and the Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC). World, launched in July 2023 under the former name Worldcoin, has faced regulatory challenges globally, with concerns raised in Germany, Kenya, and Brazil over potential risks to biometric data. The company insists that iris scan data is anonymized and not stored on Orb devices. At the time of writing, the local WLD token price had fallen about 6% in seven days to $0.626, down over 70% from a year ago.