Part 6/11:
Critics have raised alarms about the ethics of biometric data collection, especially in regions with vulnerable populations. In Kenya, for example, the project was banned due to concerns over misleading incentives and weak data protection laws. Critics label such practices as a form of “biometric colonialism,” where wealthy corporations extract sensitive data from poorer communities in exchange for small amounts of cryptocurrency.
The European Union has taken notice, with German data protection authorities launching investigations into Worldcoin’s practices. Countries are divided on how to regulate this new technology—while some embrace it as a vehicle for financial inclusion, others view it as a privacy nightmare waiting to unfold.