The info safety physique stated on Wednesday it feared that the iris scans of metropolis customers of Worldcoin, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, a number one determine within the international synthetic intelligence trade, might result in folks’s private info being compromised.
The watchdog’s high-profile motion got here after comparable investigations had been began by knowledge regulators in different jurisdictions, with some labelling the biometric knowledge assortment technique, the place persons are given cryptocurrency after photos of their irises are taken, as questionable.
“The workplace is anxious that the operation of Worldcoin in Hong Kong entails severe dangers to private knowledge privacy,” Lo Dik-fan, a senior private knowledge officer on the Workplace of the Privacy Commissioner for Private Knowledge, stated.
Worldcoin, which claims to have greater than 3.2 million sign-ups worldwide, requires customers to have their iris info collected by a scanner referred to as the Orb in trade for World ID digital identification and free cryptocurrency.
Lo added the way in which through which Worldcoin collected and processed the data may be in contravention of rules within the Private Knowledge (Privacy) Ordinance.
“With the view to defending the private knowledge privacy of members of the general public, though we now have not acquired any complaints concerning the venture, the workplace has proactively commenced an investigation towards Worldcoin in accordance with established procedures,” he stated.
Officers armed with search warrants raided the venture’s six premises in Yau Ma Tei, Kwun Tong, Wan Chai, Cyberport, Central and Causeway Bay on Wednesday.
Hong Kong plans to regulate cryptocurrency exchanges amid money-laundering alert
Hong Kong plans to regulate cryptocurrency exchanges amid money-laundering alert
The commissioner’s workplace stated among the areas had been used to conduct iris scans of service customers.
A supply aware of the case stated the workplace would look into whether or not Worldcoin obtained the consent in Hong Kong “genuinely” and if it used any authentications it had collected as agreed by contributors.
Customers are given 25 Worldcoin, value about HK$19.55 (US$2.50) every on Wednesday, after their irises are scanned.
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The Cayman Islands-based firm has attracted scrutiny from abroad knowledge regulator in locations corresponding to Britain and Germany, after its launch final 12 months amid considerations about privacy and potential use of digital foreign money for fraudulent functions.
Worldcoin arrange its first retailer in Shanghai Road, Yau Ma Tei final July for customers to scan their irises to finish the registration course of.
The privacy watchdog stated it had seen Worldcoin opened 4 different premises final December alone.
Officers additionally appealed to the general public to stay vigilant once they took half in schemes that collected delicate private info and to contemplate the legality and goal, in addition to the retention interval and different safety measures.
The commissioner’s workplace stated it had no authority to droop Worldcoin’s operations in Hong Kong.
Francis Fong Po-kiu, the honorary president of the Hong Kong Info Know-how Federation, stated iris recognition was a less-used biometric identification technique than fingerprints or facial recognition.
“The crux of the difficulty now could be how this distinctive biometric info is used,” he stated.
“It has not been clear. You can’t simply ask folks to present you their iris info in trade for your digital tokens with out telling them how you’ll use the scans.”
The Put up has contacted Worldcoin for remark.