Worldcoin expands World ID verification to Austria

Worldcoin has announced the rollout of World ID orb verification in Austria, as part of its bid to improve access to proof of humanness technology across Europe. As per the company’s website, the verifications will begin on July 31 at multiple locations in Vienna. 

According to the details from the announcement, orbs will be accessible from July 31 at several locations in Vienna, and anyone from the age of 18 can participate by completing the verification of their World ID.

Worldcoin rolls out World ID in Austria despite Spain’s ban

The recent expansion to Austria follows Germany, where Worldcoin recently launched its proof of humanness technology. While expansion plans are in motions, the project has received backlash from several countries for its biometric data collection.

Portugal, for instance, had asked Worldcoin to pause its biometric data activity in March. While a survey stated that 82% of the 21,000 World ID holders believed in the importance of World ID’s technology, Spain banned Worldcoin until the completion of a GDPR audit.

Despite the pushbacks, the company’s announcement revealed that more than 3 in 4 of the 19,000 World ID holders agree on the positive impact of Worldcoin. A survey conducted by in Peru, Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador shows that the majority of the respondents reacted in a positive manner to the company’s verification technology.

WLD shows muted performance despite expansion

Despite the positive expansion news and the much-awaited launch of their Layer-2 chain, World Chain, the price of WLD has not seen much upward movement. According to CoinMarketCap data, WLD is trading at $2.2 with a 3.4% drop in value over the last 24 hours and a 10% decline in 30 days.

Worldcoin team came under scrutiny earlier this month, with an X account, DeFi Squared, alleging that the project was designed for price manipulation. The account alleged that some team members may have used insider information to take advantage of the market.

[…] the token’s daily price moves have been on many occasions influenced by the team as they actively make changes to emissions, market maker contracts, and well timed announcements before unlocks. – DeFi Squared

The allegations came after WLD’s price pumped to $3.23, triggered by an announcement regarding the unlocking of 80% of WLD tokens, which was later postponed. Worldcoin announced that it would be delaying the unlock of 80% of the WLD token by two years. The initial plan was to unlock the tokens in three years. However, the current plan has pushed the schedule forward for over five years.