Chinese authorities accuse Worldcoin of threatening national security

China’s Ministry of State Security has warned citizens that a foreign company’s practice of collecting users’ iris data in exchange for cryptocurrency poses a threat to «both privacy and national security,» the agency wrote on its official WeChat account.

Although Chinese authorities did not directly name the project in their post, the description appears to refer to World, formerly known as Worldcoin.

The cryptocurrency project Worldcoin has previously faced criticism and scrutiny from regulators in several jurisdictions over privacy and data protection concerns. In May, Indonesia suspended World’s operating permit after local media reported suspicious activity related to the World ID app and the Worldcoin token.

World has voluntarily suspended its user verification services in Indonesia and is seeking clarification on the terms of the relevant licenses and permits, a spokesperson for Tools for Humanity, World’s main developer, said at the time.

China also regularly warns of the risks associated with cryptocurrencies. In July 2025, the financial regulator in Shenzhen issued a warning about fraudulent schemes masquerading as investments in stablecoins and other crypto assets.

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