China Warns Worldcoin-Style Iris Scanning a National Security Threat

China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) is warning of a national security threat posed by the misuse of biometric data, singling out foreign companies that incentivize iris scans with cryptocurrency, in what appears to be a thinly veiled reference to Worldcoin via a post on its official WeChat account.

In a post, the MSS described a case in which a foreign firm offered crypto token rewards to scan users’ irises around the world.

The company later transferred the biometric data abroad, raising concerns about both personal data privacy and national security. While the company wasn’t named, the description closely matches Worldcoin, the crypto project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, which exchanges tokens for iris scans in a bid to build a global identity network.

The project has already faced regulatory pushback in Germany, France, and Kenya, CoinDesk previously reported, where concerns have been raised over informed consent, data storage, and surveillance potential.

Beijing’s advisory goes further, citing other cases where stolen facial data has allegedly been used by foreign intelligence services to deepfake identities, allowing spies to infiltrate secure locations.

Worldcoin’s WLD token is trading for 93 cents, down 4%, according to CoinDesk market data.