Nearly 90% of World ID holders in Spain support Worldcoin return

A new customer survey of more than 21,000 people in Spain, the first of its kind to give a voice to Worldcoin users, shows just how important digital proof of humanness has become in the country—and the extent to which people recognize the value provided by World ID. 

The 24-hour survey, conducted in late May via World App by Worldcoin contributor Tools for Humanity (TFH), asked verified World ID holders a series of questions related to Worldcoin, biometrics, proof of humanness and data privacy protection. 

According to the survey, nearly 3 in 4 of the 21,000 respondents (73%) agreed that Worldcoin can help create a safer and more secure internet (20% were unsure), and 82% agreed that technologies such as Worldcoin/World ID are important for distinguishing between humans and bots online (13% were unsure). 

Importantly, 81% of respondents stated that they feel safe using Worldcoin (15% were unsure). The survey results also showed that respondents in Spain strongly support the return of Worldcoin operations in the country (87% support, with 9% unsure).  

Worldcoin does not seek to know who a person is, just that they are human and unique. World ID offers privacy and control features that include:

Privacy

• Protection against tracking World ID use across applications through the use of zero-knowledge proofs to hide which World ID a user holds
• An unprecedented SMPC system that individually encrypts iris codes into multiple different secret shares held by different trusted parties

Choice and control

• Personal Custody to store personal information securely on a user’s device
• Optional Data Custody for AI training purposes and opt-out including deletion of Data Custody data at any time 
• The ability to permanently delete a person’s iris code and unverify their World ID for increased control over data

TFH voluntarily offered to extend the pause of Worldcoin orb operations in Spain. This allows BayLDA in Bavaria, the competent lead authority responsible for oversight of Worldcoin’s GDPR compliance, the time to complete its audit—a process that TFH has been fully participating in for over a year. 

Specifically, TFH committed not to perform orb operations in Spain through the end of calendar year 2024, or if sooner, until the BayLDA consultation process with other EU data protection authorities is concluded.

As acknowledged by the AEPD, a series of privacy and security measures have been implemented in recent months aimed at addressing its concerns, including advanced controls for age verification, the deletion of old iris codes by transforming them into SMPC shares, optional World ID unverification (including the ability to delete iris codes) and more. 

“While it is encouraging that, in a recent survey* of World ID users in Spain, more than 80% of the 21,000 respondents said they believe technologies like World ID are important to distinguish between bots and humans online and nearly 90% of them support the project’s return to Spain, we voluntarily offered to extend pausing orb operations in the country” said Thomas Scott, Chief Legal Officer, Tools for Humanity. “Our commitment demonstrates just how fully committed Tools for Humanity and all Worldcoin project contributors are to explaining the project to AEPD and to allowing BayLDA the opportunity to thoroughly review the project and its technology.” 

In light of new online surveys in Peru, Mexico and Colombia conducted in 2024 for TFH, there’s growing international support for technologies that prove humanness online:

• In Peru, 90% of the more than 800 respondents indicated they want technology-based solutions to differentiate humans from bots online.
• Additionally, 84% of respondents in Peru indicated that mechanisms that differentiate machines from humans are “essential” for the future.
• In Colombia, 71% of respondents indicated they feel “very” or “somewhat concerned” that more convincing online bots will lead to even greater levels of fraud and misinformation.
• In Mexico, 75% of the nearly 1,000 respondents said they feel safer consuming online content that they know was generated by a human.

This desire to demonstrate humanness online aligns with the fact that, for example, nearly 9 in 10 respondents in Mexico indicated they themselves or someone they knew had either been personally victimized by online fraud or identity theft.

To learn more about relevant global surveys and how Worldcoin is increasing access to important proof of humanness technologies, visit the Worldcoin website or join the daily conversations on Twitter/X, Telegram, Discord, YouTube and LinkedIn. You can also sign up for the blog newsletter at the bottom of this page.

Additional important information concerning the project is available in the Worldcoin protocol whitepaper.