Worldcoin Hit with Fine in Argentina, Sign-up Lines Form in Singapore

A provincial authority in Buenos Aires, Argentina has hit Worldcoin Foundation with a fine and ordered it to strike multiple clauses from its terms of service.

An authority in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina has slapped Worldcoin Foundation with a fine and ordered it to strike several clauses from its terms of service. One of the alleged violations involves how users’ iris biometrics are stored, but the regulator admits a lack of understanding on the issue.

The Ministry of Production, Science and Technological Innovation has levied a fine of 194 million pesos (roughly US$210,000) against the company for failing to acquire accreditation as an identity services provider and not posting notice that the service is restricted to those 18 years of age and above. The authority had previously threatened fines of up to a billion pesos, or over a million dollars.

The clauses the authority says are not legal state that Worldcoin’s service can be discontinued without reimbursement, and that users agree to renounce collective claims against the company. They also stipulate that users must abide by the regulations of the Cayman Islands, and in the case of a dispute, arbitration would be held in California. These clauses violate the Civil and Commercial Code of Argentina, according to the announcement.

The fine and administrative summary were published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Buenos Aires on June 23, and the company has ten business days to appeal the decision.

The regulator began investigating Worldcoin’s operations in Argentina after receiving complaints from local digital rights organization EFF Argentina (Fundación Vía Libre) and the Buenos Aires Undersecretary of Commercial Development and Investment Promotion, which is part of the Ministry of Economic Development.

Officials from the Undersecretary visited one of the Worldcoin orb enrolment locations in May and observed the user onboarding process and the equipment being used, according to a report from the Buenos Aires government.

The Undersecretary observed that the company claims both the users’ biometric data is only captured by the orb and then destroyed, and that it is stored abroad.

“The complexity of these contracts, the novelty of the deployed operation, the legal good that is at stake and the lack of information, prevent the clear and fully understanding of the rules and operation of all this operation,” the Undersecretary’s report states, as machine-translated.

Worldcoin is still seeking a growth and operations specialist for its market operations team in Argentina, according to a recent job posting. The successful candidate will be responsible for “scaling orb operations, managing orb operators, and ensuring a smooth user experience in the country.”

People in Singapore are queuing up to enroll their digital identity and perform iris biometric deduplication, The Straits Times reports.

There are 10 Worldcoin enrolment locations across the island, and most of those lined up at a location visited by the Times in May and June were migrant workers. Some of the workers reportedly said they were paid $10 to sign up for the service, while others stated they were motivated by curiosity about the technology.

One migrant worker who signed up for Worldcoin told the Times that he was concerned about how his personal data would be used, and another said he was not aware that his iris scan would be taken.

Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) has cautioned consumers to be aware of how their personal data will be used before submitting it, and noted the company’s obligations under the nation’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).

“Consumers should assess the value they derive from the service against the use of their personal data by the organization,” PDPC said in a statement to the Times.

“They should also understand how their personal data will be disclosed, used and/or processed by the organization, and whether such disclosure, use and/or processing is necessary for the stated purpose of collection.”

Tools for Humanity Chief Privacy Officer Damien Kieran reiterated to the outlet that biometric data is stored in an app on the user’s own phone for authentication. He also admitted that the company has not done enough to make clear to regulators how its data-handling works.

“We haven’t done a good enough job of explaining to regulators how our technology works,” Kieran stated.

“We are working on improving our communication with regulators around the world to ensure they have a clear understanding of our technology and our privacy practices.”

The Worldcoin token, WLD, reached the market a year ago, and is now trading at around $2.30.

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