- A recent survey by Worldcoin claims that 90% of its users in Spain want it to resume services after the country’s data regulator banned it and forced it to shut down.
- The project announced this week that its services will be suspended in Spain for the rest of the year, joining countries like Hong Kong, Kenya, and Portugal, which have all banned its iris-scanning technology.
Worldcoin has been in the spotlight globally for its squabbles with regulatory authorities, some of whom have ordered it to shut down its services. However, a recent survey among its users in Spain reveals that it still holds massive support in the country.
In March, the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) ordered the project to cease all operations in the country. AEPD said it was concerned about Worldcoin’s data-gathering techniques and demanded that the project stop using its already collected data. The regulator alleged that several Spaniards had filed complaints about the project, including allegations that it was illegally collecting data from minors and not allowing users to withdraw their consent.
As Crypto News Flash reported, Worldcoin has voluntarily extended this suspension for the rest of the year. In its announcement, Tools for Humanity, the entity developing the protocol, said that it could resume services sooner if the German regulator investigating its compliance with European data laws completes the audit sooner.
Worldcoin Claims Support from 90% of Spanish Users
While the AEPD has booted Worlcoin out of Spain, the project says it still retains the love of the people. In a study involving over 21,000 of its users in the country, it claimed that close to 90% want it to resume its services and that four in five “agreed that technology like Worldcoin and World ID is important for distinguishing between humans and bots online.”
Thomas Scott, the chief legal officer for TFH said that “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.”
Worldcoin’s target is distinguishing between bots and humans online. In an era where AI is making it harder to tell the difference, its World ID provides ‘proof of humanness’ with technologies such as biometric iris scans. Interestingly, Worldcoin co-founder Sam Altman is also the man behind OpenAI, the company at the forefront of developing AI, the same technology that’s making World ID more important in the digital age.
Despite being reportedly overwhelmingly supported in Spain by its users, regulators globally haven’t been as friendly. In Portugal, regulators ordered the project to cease collecting iris scans as it had failed to inform users about how it was using their biometric data.
Meanwhile, the WLD token trades at $4.94, dropping 0.62% despite a shortlived 3% rally on Wednesday.
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