Technology
Government suspends WorldCoin activities in Kenya
Wednesday August 02 2023
A woman is helped scan her iris to create identification codes as part of the requirement while registering as a member of the new Worldcoin cryptocurrency at KICC Nairobi on August 1, 2023. PHOTO | WILFRED NYANGARESI | NMG
The government has suspended the activities of the cryptocurrency project WorldCoin in the country pending the conclusion of inquiries and investigations aimed at establishing the safety of the data being harvested.
Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki, in a statement on Wednesday, said the suspension will remain in effect until assurances of public safety and the integrity of financial transactions are satisfactorily provided.
“The government has suspended forthwith activities of World Coin and any other entity that may be similarly engaging the people of Kenya until relevant public agencies certify the absence of any risks to the general public whatsoever,” reads the statement in part.
“Appropriate action will be taken on any natural or juristic person who furthers, aids, abets or otherwise engages in or is connected with the activities afore described.”
The suspension comes just days after the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) issued an advisory against the project, urging Kenyans to heighten their vigilance and ensure that they receive proper information before disclosing any personal or sensitive data.
Worldcoin is a new project by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman where users are required to provide their iris scans in exchange for digital identification and free cryptocurrency called Worldcoin token.
The uptake craze in the country has thus far seen about 350,000 Kenyans sign up in a rush to obtain the free tokens currently valued at Sh7,786.
On Tuesday, long queues were seen leading to the Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC) where the eye-scanning exercise was taking place, prompting the police to stop the registration exercise citing security concerns.
The Worldcoin project assigns people who sign up a digital ID which it says will help distinguish humans from artificial intelligence (AI) programmes online.
The founder says eye-scanning is necessary for a future in which distinguishing between humans and robots becomes increasingly challenging due to a surge in AI technology.
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