Tools for Humanity launches new programs in Puebla at a time when experts advise people to exercise caution when providing their biometric information.
As Tools for Humanity, the project’s operator, moves further into Mexico, experts have sent out a warning to Worldcoin users.
On October 5, Mexican media outlets such as Diario de Puebla reported that Worldcoin has launched new World ID services and facilities in Puebla, a major city in east-central Mexico.
Worldcoin currently operates four locations in Puebla and offers ID verification services to make sure users are at least eighteen years old.
Vice governor @lucasaromero was the first World ID verification at the Worldcoin launch in Misiones, Argentina 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/mRIe3kPpT3
— Worldcoin (@worldcoin) September 28, 2024
Mexico: Worldcoin Warnings Amid LATAM Expansion
Additionally, the business will employ its services to guarantee that World IDs are only given to “unique human beings.”
However, security and IT experts have expressed caution, with Worldcoin still battling regulatory issues in Mexico and the wider LATAM region.
“Worldcoin is operating in areas where people may be in more desperate situations and have fewer legal protections. It’s understandable why many leaders find this concerning. However, I want to emphasize that developing a blockchain-powered identity system doesn’t have to be done this way.”Evin McMullen, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Privado ID
Per UNO TV, Carlos Tlahuel, a security expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, urged people in the country to be “wary of the manner way in which their personal data is processed by companies.”
He said that people should ask themselves “whether it is really necessary to provide” firms with biometric data, and ask themselves “why firms are asking for it.”
“In Mexico […] we need citizens to be more demanding […] and to question whether it is really necessary to provide the data that is sometimes requested to access a service. In many instances, this data is dispersed. The data can sometimes be used for [unsavory] purposes.”Carlos Tlahuel, security professional at the National Autonomous University of Mexico
Some speculate that Worldcoin chose to concentrate its expansion in Latin America because of potential regulatory obstacles in other regions.
Evin McMullen, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at the digital identity company Privado ID, told Cryptonews:
“New technology designed to secure the identities of the entire internet should be built by empowering all communities. Worldcoin doesn’t operate in the US or most of the EU. It’s worth noting that those regions have meaningful financial resources and strong personal data protections and represent significant usership and value in digital spaces. This makes collecting biometric data expensive and legally complex there.”
In response to criticism, Worldcoin has launched ID verification systems to make sure that in many LATAM locations, it does not obtain biometric data from minors.
“All institutions must make statements explaining why personal data is collected and what it will be used for. Biometric data obviously needs special treatment, and [Worldcoin] has not explained why it requires it. This lack of transparency generates speculation. And some countries do not look upon this project with favor.”Carlos Tlahuel, National Autonomous University of Mexico
According to reports from Mexican news outlets, a large number of individuals providing their biometric data in Mexico are immigrants from neighboring countries such as Colombia.
Some allege that by obtaining iris scans from immigrants and failing to provide cryptoassets in exchange, third-party agents have taken advantage of them.
In April, AFP (via Expansion), quoted a 64-year-old Argentinian martial arts teacher named Juan Sosa as saying:
“[I scanned my iris at a Worldcoin center] because I don’t have a penny, there’s no other reason. I didn’t want to do it. But because of my age, no one will give me work. And I need the money.”
Regulatory and privacy concerns appear to have done little to dent Worldcoin’s progress in LATAM, however. Late last month, Tools for Humanity announced it was expanding into Guatemala.