Thai financial authorities raid 'World' iris scan center…"Accused of operating tokens without authorization"

The digital identity project 'World (WLD)', led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is again under investigation by regulators in Thailand.

On the 24th (local time), Cointelegraph reported that the Thailand Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced it conducted a crackdown on World’s iris scan sites jointly with the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB). The SEC said the probe was "based on allegations of illegal business operations related to WLD token services." It added, "Suspects were arrested and additional law enforcement procedures are underway."

World's WLD is a virtual asset that is issued to users when they verify their identity through an iris scan. According to company materials, 102 official 'Orb' iris scan locations are operating in Thailand.

World said on its official website, "WLD tokens are distributed only in regions where allowed by law," and explained, "Eligibility for receiving them is restricted by various requirements such as geographic location and age." It also said, "Token trading on third-party exchanges is not controlled by us."

Cointelegraph requested comment from World’s developer Tools of Humanity regarding the crackdown, but had received no response at the time of reporting.