- Blog
- Understanding Worldcoin
- Worldcoin and the AEPD in Spain
Worldcoin and the AEPD in Spain
Update June 4, 2024 - Tools for Humanity, a Worldcoin contributor, 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.”
World ID is a secure, permissionless identity protocol that empowers millions of individuals to prove their humanness online while preserving their privacy.
In the age of AI, this has never been more important. The world class teams building Worldcoin are proud to have created one of the most private and secure technologies to ever exist at this scale, providing consumers a powerful tool to control how their data is used and shared.
Worldcoin operates lawfully in all of the locations in which it is available and under close supervision of the Bavarian data protection authority (BayLDA)—the regulatory body responsible for the oversight of its GDPR compliance in the whole EU (Lead Supervisory Authority).
In accordance with the EU regulations pertaining to GDPR enforcement, Worldcoin contributors have regularly responded to BayLDA requests for months while operating lawfully in Spain and select other countries in Europe. This engagement continues to this day.
“For several months, we have been engaged with BayLDA, who are the lead supervisory authority under the GDPR for Worldcoin Foundation and Tools for Humanity,” Jannick Preiwisch, Data Protection Officer at the Worldcoin Foundation.
“It is unfortunate that the Spanish data protection authority (AEPD) is circumventing established procedures under GDPR with their actions today, which are limited to Spain and not the broader EU. It is also unfortunate that they are spreading inaccurate and misleading claims about our technology globally after our efforts to provide them with an accurate view of Worldcoin and World ID have gone unanswered for months.”
“We are grateful to now have the opportunity to help the AEPD better understand the important facts regarding this essential and lawful technology."
This circumvention of the accepted EU process and rules is why project contributor Tools for Humanity announced that a suit had been filed against the order from the AEPD. All World ID verification services have been paused in Spain, however World App, the first wallet built for the Worldcoin project, remains available.
Available educational resources
On Worldcoin and its component parts
- This is Worldcoin: Humanness in the age of AI
- The Worldcoin protocol whitepaper
- What is Worldcoin, and how does it work?
- Proof of personhood: What it is and why it’s needed
- Introducing World ID 2.0
On privacy and security
- Understanding Worldcoin data security practices
- How Worldcoin engages with policy makers and ensures compliance
- Why Worldcoin doesn’t seek to know who you are, just that you’re unique
- Intro to zero-knowledge proofs, Semaphore and their application in World ID
- Worldcoin protocol security audit reports
On the orb and iris biometrics
The above content speaks only as of the date indicated. Further, it is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and so may be incorrect and may change without notice. A full disclaimer can be found in our Terms of Use and Important User Information can be found on our Risks page.