Hong Kong Privacy Watchdog Halts Worldcoin’s Iris-Scanning Operations

• PCPD demanded that Worldcoin immediately cease using its orb devices to gather data.
• There were no Chinese translations of the Privacy Statement or the Data Consent Form.

This time it’s the Hong Kong Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) that is putting the brakes on Sam Altman’s iris-scanning startup Worldcoin (WLD). A recent development is that Worldcoin was found to have breached the privacy ordinance as per the Privacy Commissioner Chung Lai-ling. Consequently, they have demanded that Worldcoin immediately cease using its orb devices to gather data on individuals’ faces and irises.

Worldcoin violated many data protection standards stated in the Privacy Ordinance, according to the investigation’s conclusions. Problems with data collection, storage, disclosure, access, and correction fall under this category.

Insufficient Measures

Specifically, it was determined that collecting iris and face pictures was redundant. Furthermore, PCPD deemed the 10-year retention limit for personal data to be unreasonably lengthy when used to train AI models.

Worldcoin also violated the law by not providing participants with enough notice of their rights and the aim of data gathering, according to the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD). The watchdog also claims Worldcoin failed to provide sufficient notice before or during data collection.

Furthermore, there were no Chinese translations of the Privacy Statement or the Biometric Data Consent Form, and personnel at the operating locations failed to clarify or verify that participants understood these materials. Worldcoin also neglected to provide participants a chance to ask questions or warn them about the dangers of sharing biometric data.

Worldcoin has encountered many regulatory challenges within the last 12 months. In addition to regulatory hurdles in the United States, the initiative is now encountering pushback from other international markets. 

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