Hong Kong ruled that the iris scanning of Worldcoin "WLD" violated the "Privacy Ordinance" and ordered it to stop. 8,302 people have been scanned
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has completed the investigation of the Worldcoin project and announced the results of the investigation yesterday (22nd). After considering the facts of the case and the information obtained from the investigation, Privacy Commissioner Chung Lai-ling ruled that the operation of Worldcoin in Hong Kong violated the data protection principles of the "Privacy Ordinance" regarding the collection, retention, transparency, access and correction of personal data, and required the Worldcoin project to stop using iris scanning devices to collect citizens' iris and facial images in Hong Kong. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is concerned that the operation of Worldcoin in Hong Kong involves serious personal data privacy risks, so it took the initiative to launch an investigation into the Worldcoin project in January 2024. The Privacy Commissioner's Office conducted a total of 10 operations at Worldcoin's six operating points in Hong Kong between December 2023 and January 2024. On January 31, 2024, with a court warrant, it entered the six operating points of the Worldcoin project in Hong Kong located in Yau Ma Tei, Kwun Tong, Wan Chai, Cyberport, Central and Causeway Bay for investigation. After two rounds of inquiries, the investigation has now been completed.
