The National Institute for the Protection of Consumer Rights (Pro Consumidor) today urged the company Worldcoin Foundation to eliminate the biometric data obtained irregularly from more than eight thousand citizens, through a contract with “abusive clauses” that was not reviewed or approved by that institution.
The executive director of the entity, Eddy Alcántara, sent a communication last Thursday to the representatives of the aforementioned company in the Dominican Republic, in which he requests that they “proceed to the immediate elimination of all biometric and personal data collected from consumers , which were carried out with the use of an adhesion contract that had not been reviewed or approved by the competent entity for the same, as established by Law 358-05 and the Dominican Constitution.
Likewise, the official asked the company to proceed to notify Pro Consumidor of the “truthful and verifiable record” of the elimination of the information obtained from the thousands of citizens who provided their biometric data in exchange for cryptocurrencies.
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The head of the consumer rights entity reminded the company that article 59 of Law No. 4-23, Organic of Civil Status Acts, which establishes that the Central Electoral Board (JCE) is in charge of exclusive of the collection, storage, treatment and processing of people’s biometric data, which will be done in the manner determined by the implementing regulations subsequent to this law.
“In accordance with the aforementioned articles and arguments, the collection of biometric data by you without complying with the provisions of articles 81 and 83 of Law 358-05, and Resolutions No. 01-2009 and 008-2020, “Not only does it affect consumers, but it also has direct implications for national security and the protection of citizens’ privacy,” he adds.
It is good to point out – the director of Pro Consumidor continued in his letter – that in a comparative exercise we were able to realize that his company Worldcoin Foundation has suffered the same fate in Spain, Germany, Portugal, France and other European countries, where has been required to delete biometric data that was captured through iris photography.
