Hong Kong rules that Worldcoin (WLD) violated privacy regulations! Demand to stop collecting citizens’ irises

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data of Hong Kong (Privacy Commissioner's Office) announced on 5/28 that the operation of the Worldcoin (WLD) project in Hong Kong violated the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. The investigation will be launched in January 2024.

Privacy Commissioner’s Office Undercover Operations

Between December 2023 and January 2024, the Privacy Commissioner’s Office conducted 10 undercover investigations at six Worldcoin operating locations in Hong Kong action. On January 31, 2024, the Office of the Commissioner obtained a court warrant and entered six operating locations in Yau Ma Tei, Kwun Tong, Wan Chai, Cyberport, Central and Causeway Bay to conduct in-depth investigations. After two rounds of inquiries, the investigation was finally completed.

Facts of Violation: Iris Scanning and Data Collection

The investigation found that people participating in Worldcoin need to authenticate through iris scanning, make iris codes to obtain WorldID (digital passport), and regularly Obtain virtual currency WLD. During its operation in Hong Kong, Worldcoin conducted face and iris scan authentication on a total of 8,302 people.

Ruling result: multiple breaches of the Privacy Ordinance

Privacy Commissioner Chung Liling ruled that the operation of Worldcoin violated multiple data protection principles in Schedule 1 of the "Privacy Ordinance":

• Collection of facial and iris images is deemed unnecessary and beyond appropriate

• Worldcoin unfairly collects personal information, relevant documents lack Chinese versions, operations Point staff failed to fully explain to participants or confirm their understanding of the content of the document, nor did they inform participants of the risks or answer their questions.

• Participants are not clearly informed of the purpose of collecting personal data, whether they provide the data voluntarily, the recipients of the data transfer, and legal information such as access and correction rights.

• Worldcoin retains personal data for up to 10 years to train artificial intelligence models for identity verification programs, which is considered excessive retention of personal data.

• The policies and practices for handling personal data are insufficiently transparent, and the lack of a Chinese version of the Privacy Statement makes it difficult for native Chinese-speaking participants to understand the relevant policies and terms.

• Participants failed to exercise their rights to access and correct personal data.

The Privacy Commissioner has issued an enforcement notice to Worldcoin, requiring it to stop using iris scanning devices in Hong Kong to collect iris and facial images of citizens.

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