Hong Kong eye scan for cryptocurrency scheme probed by city’s privacy watchdog
- Privacy commissioner’s office says Worldcoin, co-founded by Open AI CEO Sam Altman, could lead to sensitive information being compromised
- Officials raid six offices linked to Worldcoin in wake of investigations into the company in other jurisdictions
The data protection body said on Wednesday it feared that the iris scans of city users of Worldcoin, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, a leading figure in the global artificial intelligence industry, could lead to people’s personal information being compromised.
The watchdog’s high-profile action came after similar investigations were started by data regulators in other jurisdictions, with some labelling the biometric data collection method, where people are given cryptocurrency after images of their irises are taken, as questionable.
“The office is concerned that the operation of Worldcoin in Hong Kong involves serious risks to personal data privacy,” said Lo Dik-fan, a senior personal data officer at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data.
Worldcoin, which claims to have more than 3.2 million sign-ups worldwide, requires users to have their iris information collected by a scanner called the Orb in exchange for World ID digital identification and free cryptocurrency.