According to the Office of Data Protection, the processing of personal data through the Worldcoin project violates the data protection standards outlined in Section 25 of the Act.
The office has now requested that the court intervene, failing which Kenyans’ personal data mined during the World Coin initiative will be destroyed and altered.
In an affidavit, Deputy Data Commissioner Oscar Otieno states that after reviewing the Worldcoin project operations in Kenya, he is satisfied that it is not secure for Kenyans, adding that investigations are ongoing.
“The Applicant is conducting investigations into the Respondents’ Worldcoin operations in Kenya.” The Respondent’s website describes the Worldcoin project, which is of considerable public interest, as a project “aimed at establishing universal access to the global economy regardless of country or background.” It is intended to become the world’s largest human identity and financial network, giving everyone ownership,” states court documents.
Otieno goes on to explain that the commission began assessing Worldcoin in May 2022 and that during the evaluations, they paused activities for 60 days to determine the legal foundation of the procedure and the precautions employed by the respondents.
In the application the commission wants the court to issue orders stopping further collection of data from Kenyans.
