Portugal’s National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) said on March 26 that it will ban Worldcoin from collecting biometric data for three months.
The CNPD said the restrictions will be in place for 90 days until an investigation is completed and a final decision is made. The ban applies to biometric data about the iris, eyes and face.
Prohibition details
The CNPD imposed the ban for several reasons. First, Worldcoin is said to have “no mechanism to verify the age of members” and is said to have collected data from minors without parental consent.
In addition, Worldcoin has not provided sufficient information to users on some matters, which prevents users from deleting their data or withdrawing their consent.
CNPD said the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides special protections for both biometric data and minors. It also cited other possible violations of GDPR standards and said all these factors warranted urgent intervention against Worldco.
Paula Meira Lourenço, president of the CNPD, currently called the new measures “an indispensable and justified measure” because they will protect the rights of the public and minors.
Worldcoin denies wrongdoing
According to a separate report from Reuters, Worldcoin has denied any wrongdoing and claimed that it does not allow minors to register through the ORB.
Worldcoin Foundation data protection officer Jannick Preiwisch said Worldcoin “fully complies with all laws and regulations in its areas of operation.
Preiwisch said Worldcoin had not previously heard from the CNPD about the problems. He claimed that Worldcoin has “zero tolerance” for registrations by minors and said the project is addressing the reports.
Worldcoin highlighted that it recently introduced a user-controlled Personal Custody model, giving users more control over their data. It initially announced the new model on March 22 when it released its Orb software under an open source license.
Spain also imposed a three-month ban on Worldcoin’s data collection activities on March 6 for identical reasons. The collection of biometric data has also raised concerns among regulators in several other countries, with Kenya labeling it as “spying.”
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