Worldcoin Developer Tools for Humanity Addresses Legitimacy of Iris Scanning in Bulacan

Worldcoin's biometric data collection sparked privacy and ethical concerns, making it crucial to assess its safeguards and role in digital identity verification.

Worldcoin Developer Tools for Humanity Addresses Legitimacy of Iris Scanning in Bulacan

Following the reports on the ongoing iris-scanning activities of Worldcoin in Bulacan, Tools for Humanity, the developer behind the World app, issued its first statement regarding the initiative in the province.

After several reports surfaced regarding Worldcoin’s iris-scanning activities in Bulacan, BitPinas reached out to Tools for Humanity, the developer behind the World app, to clarify the initiative in the province. Below is the statement from Javier Tuiran, Communications Manager from Tools For Humanity:

We are currently offering Proof of Human services in a closed beta, in partnership with a local partner. This technology is crucial as it enables individuals to confirm their humanness in an AI-dominated world, granting them a digital ‘proof of human’ for the internet and access to the global digital economy.

To verify humanness, individuals use the Orb, an advanced camera that captures facial and eye images. Within seconds, the Orb processes these images using state-of-the-art technology to confirm that the individual is real and unique. Importantly, all images are immediately deleted from the Orb and stored only on the person’s device, ensuring privacy.

Where applicable, verified humans who participate in World Network may access a free allocation of WLD as a benefit for participating in the network.The process of accessing a free, optional allocation of WLD is a separate and distinct activity from the humanness verification process.

This statement comes after BitPinas reported on the Worldcoin team scanning residents’ irises in Bulacan. According to the report, the team is offering participants a chance to earn WLD tokens from the initiative. However, some participants expressed confusion over the airdrop mechanics and the limited information provided by the team.

Worldcoin’s biometric data collection sparked privacy and ethical concerns, making it crucial to assess its safeguards and role in digital identity verification. This article will delve deeper into these aspects and provide updates on the Worldcoin initiative in the Philippines.

We also covered lawyer Enrique Dela Cruz, Jr.’s comments on the matter, highlighting Tools for Humanity’s registration with the National Privacy Commission (NPC). In his Facebook posts, Dela Cruz, who is also the Senior Partner, Data Protection Officer (CIPM), and Head of Fintech, Intellectual Property & Arbitration Group at DivinaLaw, emphasized the project’s legal compliance in the Philippines.

However, a commenter named Fortin Garcia Talastas raised a legal question in a counter argument, asking if iris scanning violates the Data Privacy Act of 2012. This question remains unanswered as of writing.

Moreover, we reported on the rise of “unofficial cash-out services” that are helping participants convert their $WLD tokens to cash without using PDAX. While $WLD is listed on the platform, many participants are still unaware of how to use crypto exchanges.

This article is published on BitPinas: Worldcoin Developer Tools for Humanity Addresses Legitimacy of Iris Scanning in Bulacan

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