Odia Kagan of Fox Rothschild writes:
The Philippines’ National Privacy Commission (NPC) has directed Tools for Humanity (Worldcoin) to stop processing biometric data, emphasizing that biometric information is not a commodity for trade.
“Biometric data is a unique and permanent identifier. When consent is compromised by the lure of compensation, it ceases to be a genuine expression of choice“.
According to the NPC, Tools for Humanity’s program — which offered financial incentives in exchange for consent to collect iris biometrics — constituted undue influence. Consent obtained under such circumstances cannot be considered freely given.
The NPC also cited additional compliance gaps:
- The privacy notice lacked accessible and complete information about the purpose, scope, extent, and duration of processing.
- The collection of biometrics was deemed unnecessary to achieve the company’s stated goal of “proof of humanity.”
- Continued processing of the biometric data was found to present a risk of grave and irreparable injury.
Read why Kagan thinks it matters in the U.S., too at Privacy Compliance & Data Security.
Reference: Biometric Update Article