The Department of Provincial Administration has issued a nationwide alert urging local officials to monitor iris-scanning activities taking place in shopping malls across the country.
It cited reports about a device known as an Orb, which scans people’s irises at shopping malls, with participants offered cryptocurrency worth 500 to 1,000 baht in return.
The Orb was developed by Tools for Humanity, a company co-founded by Sam Altman, the chief executive of the ChatGPT developer OpenAI. It bills the World ID system as a digital proof-of-human service for the AI age.
The local affiliate Tools for Humanity Thailand is using the Orb to promote human verification services through 11 local partners, including state-owned National Telecom.
Users who complete the iris scan receive Worldcoin cryptocurrency tokens as an incentive and can then use their World ID to manage digital currencies, access platforms and prove their identity online.
The company has said that its service does not violate the country’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
The Department of Provincial Administration said that no state agency, including its Bureau of Registration, is involved in the collection of biometric data.
Local administrators, including village heads, have been instructed to prevent such activities in their communities.
The police Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) is currently assessing possible risks, the department said.
Those who suspect fraud may report cases to provincial or district offices of the Interior Ministry’s Damrongtham Centre or call the centre’s hotline 1567.
Deputy government spokesman Anukool Pruksanusak cited a recent Consumer Council report that said some of the iris-scanning schemes are offering up to 1,000 baht in crypto to participants within 24 hours after scanning. Recruiters reportedly receive 500 baht per referral, capped at 10 people.
He stressed that biometric data, particularly iris scans, are among the most sensitive personal information.
Unlike passwords, they cannot be changed and could be exploited for identity theft.
He outlined three major risks in participating in such schemes, including data leaks that expose iris codes to hackers, impersonations in financial transactions, and cybercrimes involving the use of such biometric data to create deepfakes.
Many countries prohibit iris data collection, reflecting global concerns over privacy and misuse.
“The government would like to ask citizens to be aware that trading such biometric data for a small reward may not be worth the possible damage that could occur in the future,” Mr Anukool said.
Tools for Humanity has said that its mission is to create digital infrastructure that is safe for humans and enables them to distinguish their online presence from bots, without compromising their privacy.
Orb was introduced in Thailand in late March, and as of mid-June more than 100,000 people had had their irises scanned via the device at 58 locations, according to Pakapol Thangtongchin, country manager of Tools For Humanity Thailand.
