NPC ISSUED CEASE AND DESIST ORDER AGAINST TOOLS FOR HUMANITY | Abogada Ng Bayan

Описание: On 8 October 2025, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) issued a formal Cease and Desist Order (CDO) against Tools for Humanity (TFH), the company behind the World App and its “Orb” biometric-verification device, along with its local operator in the Philippines. 

Here’s what’s happening, why it matters, and what you should keep in mind:

What the Order Says
• The NPC has ordered TFH and its Philippine operator (WCPH Corporation) to immediately halt all data-processing activities in the Philippines tied to the World App, the Orb verification, and related systems. 
• Specifically, this includes: not making the app available for download in the Philippines, suspending any biometric-verification activities (iris, retina scans), and not transferring or further processing data already collected. 
• The order is based on the NPC finding that TFH’s practices violated key parts of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA) and its implementing rules. 

The NPC flagged several major concerns:
• Invalid consent due to undue influence: TFH was found to be offering monetary or material incentives in exchange for submitting biometric data, which in the NPC’s view compromised the voluntariness of consent. 
• Lack of transparency: Users were not adequately informed about what data was collected, how long it would be processed, for what exact purpose, or how their rights could be exercised. 
• Excessive collection of biometric data: The collection of iris scans and retina scans (immutable biometric identifiers) was deemed disproportionate for the declared purpose of “proving humanness” via the World App/Orb. 
• Risk of grave and irreparable injury: Because biometric identifiers are unique and permanent, the NPC considered the risk of identity theft, fraud or other lifelong harms serious enough to warrant a CDO.