Worldcoin Operator Announces Mexico Expansion – Despite Potential Probe
The Worldcoin operator Tools for Humanity is expanding its services in Mexico, the firm announced, in spite of lawmakers’ calls for a government probe into its iris-scanning drive.
Per the media outlet Criptonoticias, the company said it had opened iris-scanning centers in the capital Mexico City, as well as Guadalajara and Monterrey.
Worldcoin Operator to Launch Mexico City Scanning Center
Worldcoin has nine regional centers in Mexico where staffers can collect citizens’ biometric data, making it the third-largest base for the project in the Latin America region.
The project has also enjoyed great success in Argentina. This same nation’s data protection agency announced the launch of an investigation into Worldcoin in January this year.
However, Mexican lawmakers have expressed concern. Earlier this month, María Eugenia Hernández, an MP for the ruling Morena party, called on the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI) to act. Hernández said:
The lawmaker asked INAI to verify that it “would be safe” for Mexicans to “continue to hand over their biometric data in exchange for a few cryptocurrency tokens.”
Tools for Humanity has been operating in Mexico since July 2023. The firm has been working “under the pretext” of “creating a financial and identity network,” Hernández said.
The lawmaker also pointed to the example of Spain. The European nation cited “privacy concerns” and the “protection of biometric data” as reasons for temporarily banning Worldcoin iris scanning, she added.
