JAKARTA, May 5, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Indonesian authorities said they have suspended Worldcoin, the eyeball-scanning cryptocurrency project co-founded by OpenAI chief Sam Altman under scrutiny in several countries.

Since Worldcoin launched in 2023, millions of people have had their iris patterns scanned to create a "World ID", proving they are human and allowing them to conduct transactions.

The data is encrypted and safe, according to Worldcoin, but it has run into trouble over concerns about the use of personal data including in Hong Kong, Kenya, Spain and Portugal.

Indonesia's suspension, announced on Sunday, followed reports from the public over suspicious activities on the platform, a communication and digital ministry official said.

"The freezing is a preventive measure to prevent potential risk to the public," said Alexander Sabar, the ministry's director general for digital space supervision.

The government will also summon Worldcoin's local operators, PT Terang Bulan Abadi and PT Sandina Abadi Nusantara, to provide clarification over their activities, he said.

The project aims to solve one of the main challenges facing the crypto industry that largely relies on pseudonyms to operate, leaving it vulnerable to spam bots and scams.

Hong Kong's Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) told the project last May to stop scanning and collecting iris and face images after finding it breached privacy laws.

Portugal's data authority announced the suspension of Worldcoin in March 2024, citing concerns over data protection for minors, weeks after Spain's data protection agency also ordered the company to suspend its activities in the country.