Sam Altman’s World (formerly Worldcoin) is enduring serious scrutiny in Thailand over operating license issues. Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) raided the project’s iris scanning center on Friday.
According to a statement by the SEC, the raid manifested through a joint operation with the country’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB). The regulator disclosed that it received intelligence that the project is distributing its native token, WLD among registered users.
As revealed, every registered user who verifies their account through an iris scan will receive the token. Furthermore, the Thai SEC stated that the team distributed the tokens through the “WLD exchange service” which is currently unregulated in the country. Hence, the regulator emphasized that the project through the exchange violates its guidelines resulting in the clampdown.
With the latest action, Worldcoin scanning centers in the country are prohibited from operating. Meanwhile, official data from the project website indicates that there are 102 iris scanning centers in Thailand.
How regulators are concerned about World’s compliance
More so, the development further highlights doubts in the project by global regulators. Since World’s debut in 2023, it has received various backlash from regulators over violations that include privacy, data control, and age restrictions.
Recall that in May 2025, the Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Digital temporarily revoked the operational license of World in the country. The ministry, through a statement, said the project violated some of its regulations resulting in the ban.
Likewise, the ministry invited key executives of Worldcoin in Indonesia for questioning to clarify the issue. Similarly, a Binbits report revealed that last year, World left Hong Kong due to concerns over its registration procedures.
The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said the project violated its Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO). The regulator said the use of iris machines to collect facial images of users is unclear.
Due to that, the PCPD commenced an investigation into the importance of the iris collection in the registration process. Despite the backlash from regulators, World has continued to focus on expanding its ecosystem.
In 2024, Worldcoin launched a blockchain network to accommodate decentralized applications. According to report, World aims to attract solutions that offer financial and verification services to its ecosystem.