Brazil ANPD Worldcoin Order event

regulatory-ban · PageRank 0.0000

Overview

On 24 January 2025 Brazil's national data protection authority, the ANPD, ordered Tools for Humanity — the company behind the Worldcoin/World iris-scanning identity project — to stop offering cryptocurrency or any financial compensation in exchange for the collection of biometric data in Brazil. The measure took effect on 25 January 2025. The ANPD held that paying people for biometric data is incompatible with Brazil's General Data Protection Law (LGPD), because financial incentives can undermine the free and informed consent the law requires, and it flagged the irreversible nature of biometric collection and the risk to people in vulnerable economic situations. Tools for Humanity subsequently wound down its Brazilian operations.

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Frequently asked questions

Which regulator banned Worldcoin in Brazil?

Brazil's Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados (ANPD), the national data protection authority, issued the order against Tools for Humanity.

What exactly was prohibited?

The ANPD prohibited offering cryptocurrency or other financial compensation in return for the collection of biometric data such as iris scans.

What was the ANPD's legal reasoning?

The ANPD found the practice incompatible with Brazil's LGPD, arguing that monetary incentives can compromise the validity of consent, and cited the irreversibility of biometric data collection and the influence of payment on people in vulnerable situations.