TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Alexander Sabar, Director General of Digital Space Supervision at the Ministry of Indonesian Communication and Digital (Komdigi), stated that World App or Worldcoin has been collecting retina data from users in Indonesia since 2021. "We obtained information that they have been collecting data in Indonesia since 2021," said Alexander on Friday, May 9, 2025.
Retina Data
He explained that World App has gathered over 500,000 retina data from Indonesian users. Alexander explained that the application's manager has obtained the Electronic System Provider Registration Certificate. The government has been supervising it since its operations began in Indonesia. "Supervision has been carried out and an analysis of the ESP's activities has been conducted. That's why we proceeded with summoning the relevant parties yesterday," he said regarding the supervision of World App.
Komdigi is studying the practice of collecting retina data carried out by World App and evaluating the application developer's compliance with regulations in Indonesia. On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, the ministry met with representatives of Tools for Humanity (TFH), the developer of the WorldApp or Worldcoin cryptocurrency application. "We will discuss the results of this clarification internally and follow up with a technical analysis of the application, as well as a review of Tools for Humanity's privacy policies. A formal decision on the evaluation results will be announced soon," said Alexander.
Scanning Worldcoin's retina practice, initiated by Sam Altman, also the OpenAI CEO, has recently come under public scrutiny in Indonesia. Tools For Humanity (TFH), the developer of Worldcoin technology, provides digital tokens that can be converted into Indonesian rupiah to each respondent whose retina is scanned. The tokens are worth hundreds of thousands of rupiah.
What is a Retina Scan?
Quoted from Tech Target, retina scanning is a biometric authentication technology. Retina scanners are biometric verification devices designed to recognize a person's identity based on the unique blood vessel pattern in the retina. This system falls into the category of biometric technology, such as fingerprint methods, hand shape, ear leaf geometry, iris pattern, voice waves, DNA, and signatures.
This technology has been commercially tested since 1984 through a company called Eyedentity, which was the first to create the retina scanning device.
In the process, a person will be asked to stare at a fixed point for about 15 seconds so that the device can accurately capture the retina image. The retina scanner works by emitting low-power infrared light into the eye. The blood vessels in the retina absorb this light differently from the surrounding eye tissue. This differential absorption creates a unique pattern captured by the sensor and converted into a digital image.
The image of the retina produced with its unique blood vessel pattern is similar to a fingerprint for identification and verification purposes. What makes it interesting is that the retina tissue quickly deteriorates after a person dies. Retina scanning can only be performed on living humans.
Retina scans are also commonly used in high-security access control systems, such as in restricted areas, borders, or immigration, criminal investigations, suspect identification, military bases, and other locations requiring extra security.
Indonesia has regulated biometric data protection in its Personal Data Protection Law (UU PDP). Article 4, paragraph (2), letter b of UU PDP explains that one form of specific personal data is biometric data.
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