Thailand bans World iris scans, orders company to delete data
Data regulators in Thailand said they are blocking the Sam Altman-founded company Tools for Humanity from collecting citizens’ iris scans in exchange for cryptocurrency payments.
Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) determined that the iris scan collection and payments violate the country’s Personal Data Protection Act. The agency said Monday that Tools for Humanity has been ordered to delete 1.2 million iris scans already collected from Thais.
The World iris scan project has already been banned in Brazil, the Phillipines, Indonesia and Kenya.
The company uses what it calls an “orb” to capture unique identifiers individuals can use to show they are human. People who scan their eyes are compensated with WLD tokens.
The business model is based on the premise that it will become more difficult to tell humans apart from online AI avatars in the near future. Tools for Humanity did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Opponents of the decision, including the chief executive of a company that offers sites for installing Orb devices, reportedly plan to petition a Thai court to overturn the decision.
Suzanne Smalley
is a reporter covering privacy, disinformation and cybersecurity policy for The Record. She was previously a cybersecurity reporter at CyberScoop and Reuters. Earlier in her career Suzanne covered the Boston Police Department for the Boston Globe and two presidential campaign cycles for Newsweek. She lives in Washington with her husband and three children.