Hong Kong Opens Investigation into Worldcoin

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The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Hong Kong (PCPD) has announced suspicions against Worldcoin for potentially violating regulations regarding the storage of biometric information.

According to a statement, the regulator’s observers visited multiple work areas of Sam Altman’s retinal scanning project.

“PCPD conducted investigations in six Worldcoin locations in Yau Ma Tei, Kwun Tong, Wan Chai, Cyberport, Central, and Causeway Bay. The agency is concerned that the company’s operations in Hong Kong pose serious risks to personal data,” the statement said.

The PCPD also stated that the startup’s collection and processing of personal information may go against Hong Kong regulations.

The agency has launched an investigation “to safeguard the privacy of the public.”

Additionally, the agency advised individuals to carefully consider certain key factors before providing their biometric data.

These include verifying the legitimacy of the process, understanding the extent and purpose of the collection, and identifying the organizations that will have access to their personal information.