Thailand Imposes Prison Threat, Orders Worldcoin to Halt Operations and Erase 1.2 Million Iris Records
Thailand has ordered Sam Altman’s Worldcoin to cease operations and permanently delete iris-scan data from 1.2 million individuals, escalating tension between regulators and the world’s most controversial digital identity system.

The directive, announced Monday by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), follows a formal recommendation from the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), which ruled the iris-for-token model violates Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).

This move follows a joint October raid on a Bangkok scanning center. Authorities—led by the SEC and Cyber Crime Bureau—arrested operators of an unlicensed exchange processing WLD tokens, in breach of Thailand’s Emergency Digital Asset Business Order. Regulators fear such setups heighten money laundering and fraud risks.

Worldcoin denies violations, asserting full regulatory compliance, and warns that service suspension will harm millions relying on it for AI-driven identity fraud protection.

Thailand now joins a growing list—including Kenya, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, and Colombia—that have restricted the project over biometric data concerns. In Europe, regulators insist iris codes remain personal data under GDPR—even when anonymized.

In response, Worldcoin has migrated to Secure Multi-Party Computation, launched a redesigned Orb with enhanced transparency, and introduced non-biometric verification via passport/NFC. Despite pushback, expansion continues: World ID is now live in the U.S. and Philippines, with 37 million users and 100 million verifications across 160 countries.

VECS Commentary
This isn’t merely regulatory friction—it’s a test of innovation versus fundamental rights. Biometric data is immutable: once leaked, it cannot be reset—unlike passwords. Offering token incentives for permanent biometric enrollment risks consent under duress, especially in developing economies. Technical fixes like MPC and zero-knowledge proofs are progressive—but cannot replace informed, voluntary consent. Regulation needn’t stifle progress; designed collaboratively, it can become trust infrastructure. What we urgently need is a global framework ensuring privacy by design—not privacy by default.

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**This news was obtained and summarized from various sources on the internet.