NPC Commissioner Shares Cease-and-Desist Order vs. Tools for Humanity Over World App, Iris Scans

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The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has ordered Tools for Humanity (TFH), the developer behind the World App and operator of the iris-scanning “Orb” devices, to halt all operations in the Philippines.

This news comes amid an announcement from the Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on partnering with TFH for their new initiatives.

Jose Sutton (Joe) Belarmino II, Deputy Privacy Commissioner, National Privacy Commission

NPC Order – Worldcoin Cease-and-Desist Order

A copy of the cease-and-desist order was posted publicly by Jose Sutton (Joe) Belarmino II, Deputy Privacy Commissioner, on his LinkedIn profile. The directive cited alleged violations of the Data Privacy Act of 2012, its implementing rules and regulations (IRR), and related issuances.

According to the order:

TFH must stop all activities connected to the World App and the use of Orb devices for biometric identity verification.
The NPC also barred the availability of the World App for download through the Apple App Store, Google Play, or any other platform accessible within the Philippines.
The order prohibits any further collection, transfer, or disclosure of personal or biometric data already gathered.

Situation at Establishments With Worldcoin Activities

In one of the Worldcoin orb-scanning locations, a notice from the NPC was put up advising the public of the cease-and-desist order:

*Translation:* Advice to the Public: In accordance with the order of the National Privacy Commission. This establishment has been issued a Cease-and-Desist Order in connection with the processing of personal data. All operations related to this activity are hereby immediately prohibited and stopped. (Source)

The NPC said the action was issued under NPC Circular No. 2020-02, which allows ex parte cease-and-desist orders when continued operations may cause “grave or irreparable harm” or are deemed “detrimental to public interest.”

As of October 8, 2025, there is no more orb location listed in the Philippines on the World website.

DICT: PH Eyes World Iris Tech To Secure Bank Transactions

The news comes amid the DICT stating in an interview that the Philippines is exploring the use of retina-scanning technology, including World’s Orb devices, for government systems, banking transactions, and cash aid distribution to enhance digital security.

DICT Secretary Henry Aguda assured that privacy safeguards will be established through a memorandum with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), while the government also intensifies efforts against scams using AI technology during the holiday season.

NPC Urges Public to Report Worldcoin Violations

The Commission urged the public to report any continuing processing or use of data by TFH or World App to info@privacy.gov.ph or enforcement@privacy.gov.ph.

As of press time, the NPC has not released an official statement beyond the public notice. BitPinas has reached out to Tools for Humanity for comment but has not received a reply.

Previously Reported Worldcoin Activities

Earlier this year, Worldcoin’s iris-scanning activities were observed across Metro Manila. (Read more: Worldcoin Iris Scanning to Roll Out to Entire Philippines, Begins in Metro Manila)

Worldcoin and TFH have faced similar regulatory challenges abroad. In Germany, data regulators paused operations pending privacy updates, while Kenya’s High Court ordered a halt to biometric data collection and processing.

Worldcoin has partnered with Razer previously to verify real players and stop AI bots from ruining online games. World Network is also reportedly discussing a partnership with Visa to integrate stablecoin payments into its self-custody crypto wallet.

Full Copy of the NPC Advisory

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐍𝐏𝐂) 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐂𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐓𝐅𝐇), 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐀𝐩𝐩 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐛. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐏𝐂 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐅𝐇 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟐, 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 (𝐈𝐑𝐑), 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬.

𝘛𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴:

𝟏. 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐀𝐩𝐩 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞.

𝟐. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐛 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨, 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐈𝐃.

𝟑. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞-𝐚𝐧𝐝-𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐀𝐩𝐩 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐏𝐂:

📧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨@𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲.𝐠𝐨𝐯.𝐩𝐡 📧 𝐞𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭@𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲.𝐠𝐨𝐯.𝐩𝐡

This article is published on BitPinas: Breaking: Worldcoin Hit with Cease and Desist Order in Philippines Over Privacy Violations

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