- Authorities in Hong Kong have raided Worldcoin offices.
- The raid is connected to a just-launched investigation into the project.
- The Privacy Commissioner warned the public to be cautious of the project.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) in Hong Kong raided Worldcoin offices on Wednesday to conduct investigations into the project’s operations.
Worldcoin launched in Hong Kong last year, offering 25 WLD tokens to complement iris biometric verification and registration procedures. Despite the project’s apparent success, the office of the PCPD declared that Worldcoin poses “serious personal data privacy risks.”
Hong Kong Launches Investigations into Worldcoin
According to a local media report, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner raided six Worldcoin offices in Yau Ma Tei, Kwun Tong, Wan Chai, Cyberport, Central, and Causeway Bay on January 31 after obtaining a court order.
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The PCPD’s office stated that the raid was part of a “proactively initiated investigation” into Worldcoin under established procedures of probing violations of the provisions of the Privacy Ordinance when collecting and processing sensitive personal data.
Privacy Commissioner Chung Liling specifically raised concerns about Worldcoin’s iris scanning operations, noting that “biometric data is unique and immutable and can be regarded as sensitive personal data,” warranting protection under the Privacy Ordinance.
Liling further called out the public to be cautious of the Worldcoin project, urging them to consider various factors before submitting their biometric information, including the information’s legality, purpose, and transferability.
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This is not the first time the project has faced regulatory scrutiny over its iris biometric enrollment. Last year, Worldcoin CEO Alex Blania appeared before the Kenyan Parliament to defend the project’s Orb-verification service following data privacy concerns.
The project has ceased iris biometric enrollment in France and Brazil, and scaled back operations in India.
Read about Worldcoin’s plan to upgrade orb devices:
Worldcoin CEO Teases New Orb Upgrade Despite Privacy Concerns
Read more about the genesis of Worldcoin:
How Worldcoin Wooed Investors to Inject $115M in an Ambitious Eye-Scanning Project
