Stop overpaying - start transferring money with Ogvio. Join the waitlist & grab early Rewards NOW! 🎁
Thailand Pulls Plug on Worldcoin After Biometric Consent Violations
Last Updated: November 27, 2025
✓ Fact Checked
Key Takeaways
- Thailand’s Digital Ministry ordered Worldcoin to delete 1.2 million iris scans by citing violations of national data protection laws;
- Authorities allege Worldcoin collected biometric data for tokens without consent and operated unlicensed crypto services;
- Worldcoin paused Thai operations but said it complied with regulations and hopes to resume legally due to AI identity concerns.
On November 25, Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society ordered World, a digital identity initiative supported by Sam Altman, to delete more than 1.2 million iris scans collected from Thai citizens.
According to the ministry, the data collection did not comply with the country's Personal Data Protection Act, as the biometric information was collected in exchange for Worldcoin
In October, an investigation involving Thailand's Securities and Exchange Commission and the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau led to a raid on an iris-scanning center linked to World.
Did you know?
Want to get smarter & wealthier with crypto?
Subscribe - We publish new crypto explainer videos every week!
Crypto Mining Explained: How to Earn From Mining Bitcoin? (Animated)
The authorities targeted the company due to suspicions that it had violated digital asset business licensing rules by operating token exchange services without approval.
Several staff were detained after the enforcement action. Reports later surfaced of organized efforts by groups to collect iris scans from others in exchange for rewards.
The World project stopped verifying in Thailand and removed the country from its list of Orb locations on its website. The company maintains that it has always complied with Thai laws and that it has worked with regulators throughout its operations.
There are concerns from the firm that suspending services could prevent many people from using World's technology to help guard against identity abuse, fraud, and scams involving artificial intelligence (AI).
At the same time, World stressed that it remains open to discussions with Thai authorities in hopes of finding a way to legally resume operations in the country.
On November 25, the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, BaFin, instructed Ethena GmbH to halt selling its USDe token to local investors. Why? Read the full story.
Loading...
The Most Liked Crypto News Findings
Looking for more latest crypto news on related topic? We have gathered similar news articles for you to spare your time. Take a look!
