The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) in Hong Kong has completed its investigation into the Worldcoin project and determined that its activities in Hong Kong violated the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO).
In a notice issued on May 22, Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung Lai-ling ordered Worldcoin to immediately cease all project operations in Hong Kong that involved scanning and collecting iris and facial images of the public using iris scanning devices.
The PCPD initiated the investigation into the Worldcoin project in January 2024 to assess whether the identity verification methods posed significant risks to individuals’ personal data privacy and contravened the requirements of the PDPO.
From December 2023 to January 2024, the PCPD conducted 10 covert visits to six premises associated with the Worldcoin project.
According to the PCPD, collecting facial images was unnecessary for verifying the authenticity of participants, as the operators of the iris scanning devices were already capable of performing this verification in person at the operating locations. Therefore, the scanning or collection of facial images was deemed unnecessary.
The PCPD also highlighted that Worldcoin failed to provide adequate information, preventing participants from making informed decisions and giving genuine consent.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Worldcoin’s privacy notice was not available in Chinese, meaning that non-English speaking participants could not understand the project’s policies, practices, terms, and conditions. The PCPD stated that, under these circumstances, the collection of facial and iris images was considered unfair and unlawful, breaching data protection principles.
Furthermore, the PCPD ruled that Worldcoin’s retention of sensitive biometric data, including facial and iris images, for up to 10 years solely for AI model training purposes was unjustified.
Worldcoin confirmed that 8,302 individuals had their faces and irises scanned for verification during its operations in Hong Kong.
The Worldcoin project was announced in 2021, with over two million people signing up before its official launch in July 2023. The project has attracted regulatory scrutiny in several countries due to privacy concerns, resulting in the suspension of services in Kenya and the pausing of iris scans in India.
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