Unpredictable rules driving investors away

The Philippines has always wanted to be a hub for innovation, a place where technology, startups and global talent can thrive.

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No less than President Marcos has said that he envisions the country as a hub for digital innovation and entrepreneurship.

However, when our rules keep changing, foreign investors become wary and hesitant to invest their money here.

The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has recently issued a cease and desist order against US company Tools for Humanity (TFH), the developer of the World App and proprietor of a custom, state-of-the-art hardware device called the Orb, for alleged violations of the Data Privacy Act of 2012. The agency even went as far as ordering the company to remove the app globally.

TFH was founded in 2019 by Alex Blania as CEO and Sam Altman as chairman. Yes, the same Sam Altman who co-founded OpenAl.

NPC claims, among other things, that the collection of biometric data, specifically iris scans, is excessive and disproportionate for the stated purpose of proving humanity or mere authentication, and that such collection exposes Filipino data subjects to possible identity fraud, theft, and damage to their reputation. It added that offering monetary incentives in exchange for submitting to the Orb verification process constitutes undue influence, rendering the consent obtained from data subjects not freely given and therefore invalid.

But one’s biometric data is not collected and stored, contrary to what the NPC insists, according to the World.

One can visit the World App to secure their World ID and gain access to a variety of applications, including related apps like World Coin.

Since World launched in the Philippines in February, millions of Filipinos have already secured their anonymous, proof-of-human verifications or World IDs. These individuals can now combat online crime and deepfake-related fraud, which increased by 4,500 percent in the country between 2022 and 2023.