Hong Kong has joined a growing list of countries that have cracked down on Worldcoin, with the city’s data protection watchdog raiding six of the company’s premises in the city-state.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) announced on Wednesday that it had obtained a court order to raid the offices. PCPD’s concerns are centered around Worldcoin’s risk to personal data privacy. It alleges that the company breached the city’s Personal Data Privacy Ordinance.
Since its launch, Worldcoin has attracted the wrath of regulators in multiple jurisdictions who have raised concerns over its data collection. The company scans its users’ irises with its orbs and claims to use the data as proof of personhood and issue a World ID. It argues that since its launch, it has attracted 3.2 million users and deletes any uniquely identifying information after confirming identity.
However, regulators in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and North America have raised eyebrows over the data collection.
Hong Kong is joining this long list, with PCPD’s Lo Dik-fan commenting, “The office is concerned that the operation of Worldcoin in Hong Kong involves serious risks to personal data privacy.”
In addition to probing the identities of the people behind the project in Hong Kong, the city’s watchdogs are also investigating whether the company obtained consent genuinely, sources revealed.
Commenting on the crackdown, the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation (HKITF) said that Worldcoin’s opaqueness was a significant concern.
“You cannot just ask people to give you their iris information in exchange for your digital tokens without telling them how you will use the scans,” stated the organization’s president, Francis Fong Po-kiu.
Worldcoin defended its operations, saying all its operations have been above board.
“Worldcoin welcomes regulators, including the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD), and consumers to inquire and seek information or clarifications about its programs available to the people in their communities, cities, countries or regions,” it said in a statement.
In Germany, the country’s financial regulator, BaFin, and the Bavarian State Office for Data Protection have been probing the firm for months.
The United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office, Argentina’s Public Information Access Agency, and France’s National Commission of Informatics and Liberty have described the company’s methods as questionable and launched investigations.
Kenya has been the most drastic, shutting down the firm and accusing it of espionage. The country’s lawmakers have also grilled the Worldcoin CEO Alex Blania.
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