Legal Challenge to Biometric Data Collection Practices

São Paulo prosecutors have launched a civil action against Tools for Humanity, the company behind World ID, over the collection of iris biometrics from more than 400,000 people. The case, filed by the Consumer Justice Prosecutor’s Office, also seeks information about Amazon Web Services’ alleged hosting of data gathered through the programme.

According to the complaint, World ID operators offered participants between $60 to $140 in return for iris scans, with collection points concentrated in busy and lower-income areas of São Paulo. Prosecutors allege that participants were not given sufficiently clear information about the project’s commercial purpose or the risks of biometric processing.

The filing seeks a temporary halt to further iris collection while a court-appointed expert examines the system. Longer-term requests include irreversible deletion of previously collected data and compensation for affected consumers.