Регуляторы Таиланда закрывают проект World из-за рисков для конфиденциальности Translation: Headline: Thailand regulators shut down World project due to privacy concerns

The Personal Data Protection Committee of Thailand (PDPC) has mandated TIDC Worldverse to halt its iris scanning services. This is reported by the Bangkok Post.

The company operates on behalf of Tools For Humanity Thailand, the local arm of Tools For Humanity, which is developing the World project.

During a press conference held in conjunction with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and other governmental agencies, the regulatory body ordered the service to delete data collected from 1.2 million individuals to prevent potential information transfer abroad.

PDPC Secretary-General Suraphong Plengham announced that two directives were issued in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act. According to an expert group ruling, the collection of sensitive biometric information in exchange for cryptocurrency does not comply with regulations.

Authorities discovered instances of eye scans being conducted on individuals, who were then issued WLD tokens from the Worldcoin project that were subsequently transferred to others. The Department of Special Investigations will conduct further analysis.

Tools For Humanity Thailand stated that it has suspended its identity verification services in line with the PDPC’s order, while asserting that it has adhered to local laws and transparently provided all necessary information to regulators.

The World project involves scanning a person’s iris with a specialized device known as Orb, with users who complete this verification receiving a unique ID and WLD tokens as a reward.

The local branch of the organization expressed that the suspension of operations will adversely impact millions of Thais who utilized the technology to safeguard against fraud and identity theft.

The platform previously had 102 Orb locations in Thailand, making it one of the largest in Asia.

M Vision Plc’s CEO Opas Cherdpun intends to contest the Committee’s ruling in court. He is seeking 500 affected individuals to submit a petition to the Central Administrative Court.

M Vision Plc is one of the partners of the World project. According to Cherdpun, individuals who agreed to use World services in exchange for WLD tokens will incur losses due to the PDPC’s decision.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand (SEC) has instructed digital asset service providers offering WLD tokens to issue clear warnings to customers.

«Given that legal issues concerning the issuer of digital assets Worldcoin (WLD) were raised during the press conference, and this information could impact users’ rights and interests, Bitazza advises all users to exercise caution when trading or storing WLD tokens,» the exchange’s notification states.

SEC Deputy Secretary-General Jomkwan Kongsakul emphasized that WLD tokens had been actively traded globally prior to the commencement of iris scanning in Thailand, thus the PDPC directive pertains only to this activity and does not extend to trading.

Cryptocurrency exchanges may continue to provide trading and conversion services for WLD, but platforms must clearly communicate risks and display warning messages.

Deposits, withdrawals, and trading of WLD tokens on Bitazza remain available as usual.

At least 11 countries have expressed concerns or imposed bans on World activities since the project’s inception, including Germany, Spain, South Korea, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Kenya, and Brazil.

Regulatory authorities commonly express concerns regarding the high risk to human rights associated with biometric data collection.

In Thailand, the project has sparked controversy partly due to alleged ties with a Chinese fraud network originating from Cambodia.

A recent investigation by Whale Hunting revealed that Tools for Humanity «inadvertently became involved in a money laundering network» alongside the KuCoin exchange. Reportedly, fraudsters utilized their partnership with Sam Altman to legitimize their operations in Thailand and gain a facade of credibility.

It should be noted that in May, World announced the launch of Orbs in the United States.