👁 Thailand to Orb: Who Owns Your Eyes?

Iris-for-tokens sparks privacy storm as regulators step in.

📊 Quick Hits

• 🛑 Biometric status: Iris scans = “sensitive data” under Thailand’s PDPA
• ✍️ Consent law: Sections 19 & 26 ban collection without explicit approval
• 💸 Practice: Locals paid tokens for scans → later blocked from re-registering
• 🔍 Regulator: PDPC reviewing compliance & safeguards

🔮 The Orb Controversy

The Orb, marketed as a sci-fi “proof-of-personhood” device, promises to stop bots and fake accounts. But in Thailand, it’s sparked a much darker debate: who really owns your eyes?

Reports show people scanned for tokens, only to discover they couldn’t re-enroll. That means their biometric patterns are locked forever, raising fears of traceability and exploitation.

⚖️ Regulator Steps In

Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC) is not amused.

• Biometric = sensitive → requires explicit, informed consent.
• Transparency required → users must know why data is collected and how it’s stored.
• Red flags → token incentives risk exploiting vulnerable communities.

PDPC has warned operators: post clear signage, provide supervision, and disclose identifiability risks—or face legal penalties.

Secretary-General Pol Col Surapong Plengkham summed it up:

“Biometric data is sensitive. Consent must be explicit, purpose-driven, and fully transparent.”

🤝 Supporters vs Critics

• 🟢 Supporters: WorldID prevents duplicate registrations → vital for building decentralized trust.
• 🔴 Critics: Paying people for their irises looks less like innovation, more like data colonialism. Vulnerable groups may not understand the trade-offs.

🌏 Why It Matters

Thailand could become the test case for crypto + biometrics in Southeast Asia.

• If PDPC draws a hard line, projects must redesign consent frameworks → more transparency, less exploitation.
• If not, expect a global precedent where “your eyes = your login” spreads without safeguards.

This isn’t just a compliance issue—it’s about optics. And right now, the Orb is staring into a regulatory storm.

TL;DR

Thailand’s data watchdog is probing Orb iris scans for tokens, calling out privacy gaps and shady incentives. Consent is king under Thai law. Fail to comply → legal penalties. Comply → a blueprint for crypto-biometrics done right.