For several weeks now, a scene already seen in other countries has been repeating itself in the capital of the Dominican Republic. Dozens of citizens were voluntarily lining up in the Plaza de Santo Domingo to exchange the iris of their eyes for the Worldcoin cryptocurrency.
Given the growing interest of Dominicans, the authorities decided to intervene and, since last November 14, of the company in the country. A statement issued by the National Institute for the Protection of Consumer Rights (Pro Consumidor) ordered the immediate cessation of operations from the company Worldcoin Foundation, now identified as Word.
Among the reasons for the suspension are cited “abusive clauses” established in the adhesion contracts of citizens who approach Worldcoin in order to offer your biometric data in exchange for cryptocurrencies.
The entity that defends consumer rights explains, through the executive director, Eddy Alcántara, that the company’s contracts do not adhere to the legal precepts established in the laws of the Dominican Republic, and that violate personal data protection regulations.
Wordcoin is also accused of not having a registered office in the Dominican Republic. “The absence of this information affects the right of consumers to exercise and present complaints or requests for information in an accessible manner, thus violating the principle of transparent and clear relationship with the supplier,” the letter indicates.
They remember in this sense that although Wordcoin does not have static operations centers in the country, Some 7,478 users have registered who approved the capture of their irises. Hence the decision to suspend activities, while the investigations continue.
For its part, the World Foundation team, which runs the Worldcoin company, responded to Pro Consumidor ensuring that their practices in the country are legal and transparent.
As it has said before regulators in other countries, where its operations have also been suspended, They disagreed with the measure claiming that it maintains “the highest standards of privacy and transparency in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations in all markets where it operates.”
They assure that they can answer any concerns from the authorities and highlight that their mission is to “empower people for the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), giving them access to financial systems and opportunities while protecting their privacy through cutting-edge technology.”
As CriptoNoticias has reported, this suspension occurs just days after the Chilean authorities will apply a similar measure. This, after the Chilean National Consumer Service (Sernac) issued a ban against Worldcoin, ordering the cessation of its operations in the country.
Sernac’s measure is framed in the need for companies to clearly inform the purposes for which the requested personal data will be used. This is a ban that, for several months, It is being presented in various parts of the world. Worldcoin, now World, has previously been singled out by countries in Latin America and Europe due to the mechanisms it uses to obtain people’s data.
Most authorities show a widespread concern about privacy and informed consent in the use of biometric data.
In Spain, the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) demanded to immediately cease the collection of personal data and stop the use of information already collected. The same happened in Hong Kong, where the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) inspected offices due to inappropriate management of iris scan data and issued warnings about sharing biometric data without proper consent.
