CNIL, France's privacy watchdog said on Friday (July 28) that the legality of biometric data collection of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Worldcoin Project "seems questionable".

Worldcoin, launched on Monday, requires users to provide iris scans for a digital ID and even free cryptocurrency in some countries. Worldcoin's website says it has signed up 2.1 million people over trial in last two years.

Worldcoin has set-up sites in various locations across the world. At these locations people can get their faces scanned by a shiny spherical "orb".

Data regulator in Britain said this week that it will obtain more information about Worldcoin following its launch.

CNIL, the French watchdog, told Reuters that "The legality of this collection seems questionable, as do the conditions for storing biometric data."

CNIL said in a e-mail that investigations had been initiated which revealed that the Bavarian state authority in Germany has jurisdiction, reported Reuters. The watchdog added that the Bavarian authority has since been conducting the investigation.

Worldcoin was "designed to protect individual privacy and has built a robust privacy programme" and is committed to ensuring it meets regulatory requirements, the Worldcoin Foundation said via email, as reported by Reuters.

The Worldcoin Foundation is a Cayman Islands-based entity which describes itself as a "steward of the Worldcoin protocol".

"The Worldcoin Foundation complies with all laws and regulations governing the processing of personal data in the markets where Worldcoin is available," it said.

The Worldcoin Foundation has said that the project is supervised in the EU by the Bavarian State office for Data Protection Supervision

"The project will continue to cooperate with governing bodies on requests for more information about its privacy and data protection practices," it added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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CNIL, France's privacy watchdog said on Friday (July 28) that the legality of biometric data collection of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Worldcoin Project "seems questionable".

CNIL, France's privacy watchdog said on Friday (July 28) that the legality of biometric data collection of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Worldcoin Project "seems questionable". Worldcoin, launched on Monday, requires users to provide iris scans for a digital ID and even free cryptocurrency in some countries. Worldcoin's website says it has signed up 2.1 million people over trial in last two years. Worldcoin has set-up sites in various locations across the world. At these locations people can get their faces scanned by a shiny spherical "orb". Data regulator in Britain said this week that it will obtain more information about Worldcoin following its launch. CNIL, the French watchdog, told Reuters that "The legality of this collection seems questionable, as do the conditions for storing biometric data." CNIL said in a e-mail that investigations had been initiated which revealed that the Bavarian state authority in Germany has jurisdiction, reported Reuters. The watchdog added that the Bavarian authority has since been conducting the investigation. Worldcoin was "designed to protect individual privacy and has built a robust privacy programme" and is committed to ensuring it meets regulatory requirements, the Worldcoin Foundation said via email, as reported by Reuters. The Worldcoin Foundation is a Cayman Islands-based entity which describes itself as a "steward of the Worldcoin protocol". "The Worldcoin Foundation complies with all laws and regulations governing the processing of personal data in the markets where Worldcoin is available," it said. The Worldcoin Foundation has said that the project is supervised in the EU by the Bavarian State office for Data Protection Supervision "The project will continue to cooperate with governing bodies on requests for more information about its privacy and data protection practices," it added. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

French privacy watchdog skeptical about Worldcoin biometric data collection

Google&nbsp;is not required to apply an EU "right to be forgotten" to its search engine domains outside Europe, the EU's top court ruled Tuesday in a landmark decision.

The European Court of Justice handed victory to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/european-union-fines-google-149-billion-euros-for-anti-trust-breach-204538">Google</a>&nbsp;in the case, seen as crucial in determining whether EU online regulation should apply beyond Europe's borders or not.&nbsp;

The US internet giant had argued that the removal of search results required under EU law should not extend to its&nbsp;google.com domain or its other non-EU sites.

The court ruled that, while a search engine operator such as&nbsp;Google&nbsp;must carry out "de-referencing" of links as demanded by a regulator or court in an EU state to all European versions of its sites, that "right to be forgotten" did not need to go further.

"There is no obligation under EU law" for search engine operators such as&nbsp;Google&nbsp;"to carry out such a de-referencing on all the versions of its search engine," the court said.

The case, seen as pitting individuals' rights to privacy online against freedom of information, stemmed from a legal battle waged by France since 2014 to have&nbsp;Google&nbsp;apply the "right to be forgotten" to all its search domains.

If France had won, it could have deepened <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-preparing-antitrust-probe-of-google-report-223296">a rift between Europe and the United States</a>, which is home to most of the internet's behemoths and whose President Donald Trump has railed against what he sees as EU meddling in US business.

In the end, though, the EU court found that EU law on the issue did not seek to have its "right to be forgotten" extend beyond its borders.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-translates-sad-to-happy-angering-hong-kong-protesters-against-china-extradition-law-228536">Google</a>&nbsp;hailed Tuesday's decision by the EU court.

"It's good to see that the court agreed with our arguments," its lawyer, Peter Fleischer, said in a statement, adding that&nbsp;Google&nbsp;has worked "to strike a sensible balance between people's rights of access to information and privacy".

The US company and other stakeholders had warned that authoritarian countries outside Europe could abuse global de-referencing requests to cover up rights violations.

Closely Watched Case

Google's position was bolstered in January by a non-binding opinion from the EU court's top legal advisor, advocate general Maciej Szpunar, that recommended the judges "should limit the scope of the de-referencing that search engine operators are required to carry out, to the EU".

The case had been closely watched, especially as Europe has also already emerged as a global rule-setter in terms of data protection on the internet.&nbsp;

A 2016 General Data Protection Regulation it enacted that covers all EU citizens and residents has forced many sites and companies around the globe to comply with its measures.

In terms of the "right to be forgotten" legal fight, France's data regulator, the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertes (CNIL), had argued that, for de-referencing to be effective, it must apply to all domains wherever they are.

In 2016, CNIL fined&nbsp;Google&nbsp;100,000 euros ($110,000) for non-compliance.&nbsp;Google&nbsp;appealed to France's highest court, which in turn referred to the European Court of Justice, ending up with Tuesday's ruling.

Google is not required to apply an EU "right to be forgotten" to its search engine domains outside Europe, the EU's top court ruled Tuesday in a landmark decision.

Google is not required to apply an EU "right to be forgotten" to its search engine domains outside Europe, the EU's top court ruled Tuesday in a landmark decision. The European Court of Justice handed victory to Google in the case, seen as crucial in determining whether EU online regulation should apply beyond Europe's borders or not. The US internet giant had argued that the removal of search results required under EU law should not extend to its google.com domain or its other non-EU sites. The court ruled that, while a search engine operator such as Google must carry out "de-referencing" of links as demanded by a regulator or court in an EU state to all European versions of its sites, that "right to be forgotten" did not need to go further. "There is no obligation under EU law" for search engine operators such as Google "to carry out such a de-referencing on all the versions of its search engine," the court said. The case, seen as pitting individuals' rights to privacy online against freedom of information, stemmed from a legal battle waged by France since 2014 to have Google apply the "right to be forgotten" to all its search domains. If France had won, it could have deepened a rift between Europe and the United States, which is home to most of the internet's behemoths and whose President Donald Trump has railed against what he sees as EU meddling in US business. In the end, though, the EU court found that EU law on the issue did not seek to have its "right to be forgotten" extend beyond its borders. Google hailed Tuesday's decision by the EU court. "It's good to see that the court agreed with our arguments," its lawyer, Peter Fleischer, said in a statement, adding that Google has worked "to strike a sensible balance between people's rights of access to information and privacy". The US company and other stakeholders had warned that authoritarian countries outside Europe could abuse global de-referencing requests to cover up rights violations. Closely Watched Case Google's position was bolstered in January by a non-binding opinion from the EU court's top legal advisor, advocate general Maciej Szpunar, that recommended the judges "should limit the scope of the de-referencing that search engine operators are required to carry out, to the EU". The case had been closely watched, especially as Europe has also already emerged as a global rule-setter in terms of data protection on the internet. A 2016 General Data Protection Regulation it enacted that covers all EU citizens and residents has forced many sites and companies around the globe to comply with its measures. In terms of the "right to be forgotten" legal fight, France's data regulator, the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertes (CNIL), had argued that, for de-referencing to be effective, it must apply to all domains wherever they are. In 2016, CNIL fined Google 100,000 euros ($110,000) for non-compliance. Google appealed to France's highest court, which in turn referred to the European Court of Justice, ending up with Tuesday's ruling.

Google wins 'right to be forgotten' case against France's privacy watchdog

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