Hong Kong orders Worldcoin to cease local operations, calls iris data collection ‘excessive’
Quick Take
- The privacy agency said it has instructed Worldcoin to cease all operations in Hong Kong.
- The face and iris images collected by Worldcoin were “unnecessary and excessive,” violating local privacy rules, the watchdog said.
Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has ordered the Worldcoin Foundation to cease all operations in the region as it found the project contravenes local privacy regulations.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said that Worldcoin had collected facial and iris data from at least 8,302 individuals during its operations in Hong Kong.
The PCPD, which conducted 10 covert visits at six Worldcoin locations in December 2023 and January 2024, said that such information collection was “unnecessary and excessive,” contravening the requirements of the Data Protection Principles.
“Worldcoin would retain personal data for a maximum of 10 years for the purpose of training AI models for the user verification process,” the watchdog said. “The PCPD considered that the retention period was too long and amounted to prolonged retention of personal data.”
The agency said it has issued an enforcement notice to Worldcoin, instructing it to halt all activities in Hong Kong. Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung urged the public to report to the agency if they find that Worldcoin is still operating in the city.
“Worldcoin Foundation is disappointed by the views recently released by the regulatory authorities in Hong Kong,” the project said in a statement shared with The Block. “In an effort to prepare humanity for the age of AI, the Foundation continues to raise the privacy bar through data minimization, user control over data and advanced technology such as personal custody, iris code deletion, and secure multi-party computation. Unfortunately, the authorities in Hong Kong overlooked these aspects in their evaluation of the humanness verification process.”
In March, Worldcoin announced that it would cease the collection of personal data. It plans to introduce a feature called “Personal Custody,” claiming it would allow users to store their data on their own devices.
Still, in recent months, Worldcoin has faced challenges in many jurisdictions over its digital ID collection. In March, South Korea launched a probe after receiving complaints about the project’s collection of personal information. Spain and Portugal have also told the project to stop collecting users’ biometric data.
Update: Added comment from Worldcoin
Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.
© 2024 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
