The Worldcoin Foundation has expressed disappointment over Hong Kong authorities' decision to ban its data collection efforts due to alleged privacy violations, according to a May 23 statement shared with CryptoSlate.
On May 22, the Hong Kong Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) stopped Worldcoin’s data collection activities in the region.
The PCPD claimed that Worldcoin's collection of facial images and irises from over 8,000 Hong Kong residents was both unnecessary and excessive. Additionally, the regulator accused Worldcoin of failing to provide adequate information to users, thereby compromising their ability to give informed consent.
Legal operation
A Worldcoin spokesperson affirmed the project's commitment to legal compliance, including compliance with the Hong Kong Personal Data Ordinance and similar regulations around the world.
The spokesperson further highlighted that Worldcoin aims to define high standards of privacy protection in preparation for the The AI era. The project achieves this through minimal data collection, user data control, advanced technological measures such as personal data retention, iris code selection, and secure multi-party computation.
Therefore, Worldcoin expressed disappointment that Hong Kong regulators did not take these privacy advancements into account before imposing a ban on the project.
Meanwhile, Worldcoin's dissatisfaction reflects its reaction to the Spanish data protection agency, which also blocked data collectionion efforts of the Sam Altman-backed company. Although Worldcoin has hinted at possible legal action against Spain, it has not clarified whether it will take similar action against Hong Kong.
WLD price falling
The ongoing controversy surrounding the project in Hong Kong has led to significant losses for the WLD token.
WLD is part CryptoSlate the biggest losers for May 23, down about 5% in the past 24 hours to $4.86 at press time.
This decline reflects a broader market trend, with major digital assets such as Solana And BNB also seeing losses greater than 2% during the same period.