Kenya suspends Worldcoin operations over security and data concerns 

Kenya has suspended all Worldcoin project activities in the country until it can be confident that there are no risks to the public.

The Ministry of the Interior and National Administration in Kenya announced on Aug. 2, 2023, that Worldcoin will no longer operate in the country.

According to a release posted on Facebook, there are ongoing investigations by the country’s security, data protection, and financial services agencies, concerning the legality and authenticity of Worldcoin’s biometrics data collection.

“The Government is concerned by the ongoing activities of an organization calling itself “WOLRDCOIN” which is involved in the registration of citizens through collection of eyeball/iris data.”

Excerpt from Kenya press release

Meanwhile, the suspension, which takes immediate effect, will be in place “until relevant public agencies certify the absence of any risks to the general public whatsoever.” Also, the press release stated that the government will take action against anyone engaging in Worldcoin’s activities locally. 

Sam Altman’s WorldCoin crypto eye-scanning project continues to face regulatory scrutiny. Data regulators in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France have expressed concerns about Worldcoin and have launched investigations into the project.

However, Kenya is the only country so far, which has moved to suspend the company’s operations.