Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) secretary Henry Aguda has clarified his stance on the controversial World App project, saying he respects the authority of the National Privacy Commission (NPC) to decide on the legal issues surrounding the iris-scanning technology.
World.org in the Philippines, the local arm of Tools for Humanity (TFH), the company co-founded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, has challenged the National Privacy Commission (NPC)’s cease-and-desist order (CDO) against its operations in the Philippines, calling it a “setback for responsible digital innovation” and a reversal of a year-long compliance process undertaken with Philippine authorities.
A growing rift within the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) over the controversial World.org iris-scanning program has drawn sharp criticism from data privacy advocates — including former National Privacy Commission (NPC) chair Raymund Liboro — who warned that the technology risks “turning human eyes into economic assets” and exploiting the poor under the guise of digital inclusion.
A policy rift has emerged within the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) after secretary Henry Aguda publicly endorsed cooperation with World.org’s iris-scanning technology — a move that directly contradicts a cease-and-desist order (CDO) issued by the National Privacy Commission (NPC), an attached agency of the DICT, against the project’s operators over alleged violations of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA).
The National Association of Data Protection Officers of the Philippines (NADPOP) and the Philippine Computer Emergency Response Team (PH-CERT) have expressed support for the National Privacy Commission’s (NPC) cease-and-desist order against Tools for Humanity (TFH) while calling for an independent privacy and cybersecurity audit to strengthen transparency and public trust.
