Portugal imposes 3 month data collection ban on Worldcoin

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 that the limitations apply for 90 days until an investigation is concluded and a final decision is reached. The ban applies to biometric data on the iris, eyes, and face.

Ban details

CNPD imposed the ban for several reasons. First, Worldcoin allegedly has “no mechanism for verifying the age of members” and allegedly collected data from minors without parental permission.

Additionally, Worldcoin did not provide sufficient information to users on some matters, leaving users unable to delete their data or revoke consent.

CNPD said that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) includes special protections for both biometric data and minors. It also mentioned other possible violations of GDPR standards and said that all of these factors justified urgent intervention against Worldcoin.

Paula Meira Lourenço, President of the CNPD, called the new measures “an indispensable and justified measure” at the moment as 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’s data protection officer, Jannick Preiwisch, said Worldcoin is “fully compliant with all laws and regulations in its operating areas.

Preiwisch said that Worldcoin had not previously heard from the CNPD about the issues. He asserted that Worldcoin has “zero tolerance” for registrations by minors and said the project is addressing the reports.

Worldcoin emphasized that it recently introduced a user-controlled Personal Custody model, giving users greater control over their data. It initially announced the new model on March 22 as 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 biometric data collection has raised concerns among regulators in several other countries as well, with Kenya labeling it “espionage.”

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