South Korea fined Worldcoin Foundation $860,000 for violating laws pertaining to the collection of biometric data.
The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) of South Korea fined the Worldcoin Foundation and its partner, Tools for Humanity (TFH), a total of $860,000 on Thursday for infractions pertaining to the gathering and sharing of biometric data.
🇰🇷South Korea has imposed a fine of 830 million won ($621,000) on #Worldcoin due to privacy violations.
— Satoshi Talks (@Satoshi_Talks) September 26, 2024
The South Korean data protection authority stated that the project collected biometric data, such as iris scans, without providing clear consent forms and failed to adhere to…
According to the announcement published by the PIPC, the organizations were penalized for improperly collecting iris data without adequate consent and for failing to inform users about the transfer of their data abroad.
South Korea Fines Worldcoin Foundation and TFH
The Worldcoin Foundation and TFH obtained private biometric data from almost 30,000 people in South Korea without following the law’s requirements for data processing, according to the investigation, which was started in February.
The Commission emphasized that insufficient consent was further exacerbated by the fact that users were only given access to incomplete information about the data collection and its purpose in English until March 2024.
Additionally, both parties came under fire for not implementing age verification procedures for users under 14 and for lacking a strong deletion process for iris data.
The Worldcoin Foundation and TFH have been directed to enhance their data deletion capabilities upon user request, make sure that data is not used for purposes other than those for which it was originally intended, and obtain separate and explicit consent for the processing of sensitive data in response to the violations.
The commission emphasized the importance of compliance with data protection laws, especially as the use of biometric data becomes more prevalent.
World ID Verification Expands to Three More Countries
Worldcoin has recently expanded its World ID verification services to Guatemala, Malaysia, and Poland, targeting the demand for advanced methods to distinguish between human users and bots in cyberspace.
🪪 @Worldcoin Expands World ID Verifications to Guatemala, Malaysia, and Poland as a response to increasing demand for online human verification.#BlockchainSecurity #CryptoSecurityhttps://t.co/5BETavuAUa
— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) September 25, 2024
According to the organization, a number of surveys carried out across different regions have revealed an increasing need for human verification services in response to new threats shared by bots with artificial intelligence.
The PIPC ruling from South Korea makes it very clear that following data protection regulations is mandatory.
Making these mistakes right will be crucial for Worldcoin and TFH as they work toward international expansion.