🇹🇭 Thailand Bans Worldcoin: 1.2M Users' Data Ordered to Be Deleted
Thailand’s regulators have dealt a major blow to Sam Altman’s project in Asia. The Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC) has officially banned World (formerly Worldcoin) from collecting biometric data and ordered the immediate deletion of information belonging to 1.2 million citizens.
What happened?
Authorities ruled that the "eye-scanning for crypto" model violates the local Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). The regulator's primary concerns involve the transfer of sensitive biometric data abroad and potential security risks.
Key Highlights:
📍 Orbs Offline: Services have been suspended across all 102 Orb locations. Thailand was previously one of the project's largest markets in Asia.
🔍 Investigation: The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is looking into reports of users transferring their $WLD tokens to third parties immediately after verification.
🛡 World’s Stance: Tools For Humanity Thailand confirmed it has paused operations but maintains that it has always complied with local laws. The company warned that the ban could leave millions of Thais vulnerable to identity fraud.
Market Impact:
Regulatory pressure on Worldcoin continues to mount globally, following similar restrictions in Spain, Hong Kong, and other regions. For WLD holders, this adds another layer of uncertainty as the project faces stiff legal hurdles in its global expansion.
Will Worldcoin find a way to pivot its verification model, or is this the end of the "Orb era" in major Asian markets?
#Worldcoin #WLD #CryptoNews #Thailand #Regulation
