China Warns: Sam Altman’s Crypto-for-Iris Scheme Could Be a Trojan Horse for Surveillance

Beijing raises red flags over Worldcoin's eyeball-scanning crypto project—calling it a potential spy tool wrapped in blockchain hype.

Why scan irises for digital coins? Officials suspect ulterior motives as biometric data flows to offshore servers.

Meanwhile, crypto bros shrug—'WAGMI' even if Big Brother watches. After all, privacy is just another altcoin to trade.

Worldcoin Iris Scan Risks Raise China Surveillance, Privacy Alarms

China’s Ministry of State Security issued a public warning about Worldcoin iris scan risks on Wednesday through its official WeChat account, and the timing seems pretty significant. The ministry detailed how foreign intelligence agencies are seeking to obtain crypto biometric data from Chinese citizens to forge false identities and infiltrate sensitive workplaces.

The Chinese Ministry of State Security stated:

The MSS also warned that documented cases reveal a foreign company has exploited the lure of cryptocurrency token distributions to systematically scan and collect users’ iris data on a global scale. The authority noted that the company’s subsequent transfer of these data sources

Sam Altman Worldcoin Project Matches Security Warning

The Chinese security ministry described a case involving Worldcoin iris scan risks where a foreign project offered cryptocurrency tokens in return for iris scans, with data reportedly being sent overseas. While not explicitly naming the entity, the description closely matches Sam Altman Worldcoin, which is the global identity initiative that was cofounded by the OpenAI CEO.

The alert points to past examples where foreign actors collected iris and facial data under the guise of identity verification or token distribution, then transferred that data for unknown purposes.

Worldcoin Data Privacy Concerns Spread Globally

A Tools for Humanity spokesperson had this to say on the topic:

This comes as Sam Altman’s Worldcoin operations and similar Worldcoin data privacy-sensitive projects continue expanding globally, raising more questions about oversight.