Brazil halts operations of Sam Altman’s iris-scanning project amid privacy concerns
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Brazil has joined the growing list of nations taking action against Sam Altman’s biometric identity initiative, the World Project.
Following similar steps by Spain and Germany, Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has suspended the project’s activities within the country, citing concerns over data privacy and consent.
Originally launched as Worldcoin in 2023, the project was rebranded as "World" in October 2024. It aimed to provide a digital identity system, referred to as World IDs, designed to verify genuine human users online and combat bots without requiring personal information. Users could acquire these IDs by undergoing an iris scan, a biometric verification process.
In 2024, the project launched a financial program offering recurring cryptocurrency stipends to verified World ID holders through its World app. Brazilian authorities flagged this initiative, leading to an investigation into how the project processed biometric data and incentivised participation.
The ANPD found that the monetary rewards could unduly influence users, particularly those in vulnerable situations, to consent to iris scanning without fully understanding the implications. Concerns were raised that the collected biometric data might be irreversible, and users lacked the option to withdraw their consent.
“In a preventive analysis, the General Coordination of Inspection concluded that the financial incentives provided by the company, through cryptocurrency offerings, could compromise the free and informed consent of individuals,” the ANPD stated.
Brazil’s decision follows similar actions by Spain and Germany. In December 2024, regulators in both countries directed the World Project to delete iris scan data collected from their citizens, though compliance by Altman’s firm, Tools for Humanity (TFH), remains unclear. Earlier in May, Hong Kong also banned the project, citing privacy concerns.
As privacy issues surrounding biometric data gain global attention, the World project continues to face scrutiny from regulators worldwide. Altman and TFH have yet to issue a response to Brazil’s suspension.