German data watchdog probing Sam Altman’s Worldcoin crypto project

A German data watchdog has been investigating OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman’s Worldcoin project since late last year due to concerns over its large-scale processing of sensitive biometric data, the regulator’s president told Reuters.

Worldcoin, which launched last week, requires users to give their iris scans in exchange for a digital ID and, in some countries, free cryptocurrency as part of plans to create a new “identity and financial network”.