Worldcoin is no longer allowed to collect biometric data inside Hong Kong, as announced on May 22 by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD), the city’s privacy authority.
According to the PCPD, “the Privacy Commissioner has placed an enforcement notice on Worldcoin Foundation, ordering it to discontinue all activities of the Worldcoin project in Hong Kong in scanning and collecting face and iris photos of members of the public using iris scanning equipment.”
According to reports, the PCPD has long been worried about Worldcoin’s possible privacy implications. The authority began looking into potential instances of PDPO violations in the project’s operations in January 2024.
According to the findings, Worldcoin used face and iris scanning to confirm participants’ identities and distribute free WLD tokens. But these actions were “extreme” and “unnecessary,” said the PCPD.
The authority also noted that Worldcoin was being unfair in its data acquisition practices. Many participants were of Chinese origin, yet there was a lack of information on data collecting and dangers in their native language.
Worldcoin allegedly plans to keep user data for 10 years, which the PCPD deems as “too lengthy.” The participants were also not given enough information on their rights or the reason for collecting their data. Worldcoin failed to verify age prior to scanning.
In general, Worldcoin did a poor job of giving people the information they needed to make an educated decision and offering genuine permission. The PCPD stated that, given the circumstances, the gathering of face and iris photographs constituted an unjust collection.
The privacy watchdog did more than just ask to leave the nation; they also asked people to report any suspicious behavior using facial or iris scans.
Along with this enforcement, other countries including Argentina, Portugal, and Spain have also taken measures against the cryptocurrency initiative.
The number of people using Worldcoin’s World App wallet has surpassed 10 million in under a year, despite the fact that the company faces persistent regulatory hurdles.
There have been several initiatives inside the project to comply with rules and guarantee the privacy of user data. Worldcoin co-founder Alex Blania made the announcement about user data management enhancements and the open-sourcing of their ORB technology in March.
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