According to a notice from PCPD Commissioner Ada Chung Lai-ling, the Worldcoin cryptocurrency project is required to cease all operations in Hong Kong. These operations include scanning the iris and images of people's faces using special devices, as well as the subsequent storage of this data. The collection of this information violates the Personal Data Privacy Ordinance, the agency noted.
PCPD began investigating Worldcoin back in January 2024 to determine whether its identification practices violated the privacy of citizens. Between December 2023 and January 2024, agency officials conducted searches of six sites associated with Worldcoin. It was found that the collection of biometric data was not necessary to verify the identity of participants, since scanning device operators could perform this verification in person. Therefore, PCPD called facial and iris scans an unnecessary step.
The PCPD Commissioner also noted the absence of Worldcoin's confidentiality agreement in Chinese. This means that non-English speaking project participants may have misinterpreted the terms and conditions of the project. Local users may not have given genuine consent to the processing of their biometric data. In addition, they were not informed about the possible risks associated with disclosing this data. Based on these factors, PCPD deemed this collection of data from local residents to be unlawful.
In April, authorities in Buenos Aires also uncovered irregularities in Worldcoin's operations, finding unfair provisions in its terms of service for users. In March, Worldcoin was blocked in Spain at the request of the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD).
Source: Bits
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