According to a report by the local news outlet KahawaTungu, police officers with a search warrant and representatives from multiple agencies arrived at the Nairobi-based warehouse over the weekend. They departed with equipment believed to store Worldcoin data.
Nairobi Worldcoin Warehouse Raid
On August 2, less than two weeks after the launch of the project, the Kenyan government ordered the suspension of all activities related to Worldcoin's registration and distribution of its native token WLD. Relevant agencies wish to investigate the legality and veracity of the launch of the project.
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Worldcoin was introduced in July as a decentralized identification initiative to distinguish between humans and artificial intelligence programs. Using the concept of proof-of-person, the initiative claims to protect privacy while reducing income inequality.
The most controversial aspect of the Worldcoin project is the requirement that users verify their humanity online by scanning their irises with a biometric verification device called Orb and then receiving free WLD tokens. While the project team, led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has stated that the Orb does not store users' data, privacy concerns have been raised about the method.
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The confiscated devices from Worldcoin's Nairobi facility were transported to the headquarters of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for analysis and investigation. According to Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait, Worldcoin's parent company, Tools for Humanity, did not disclose its true intentions during registration.
Worldcoin Has Not Been Registered in Kenya:
The Kenyan Capital Markets Authority has also expressed concern over Worldcoin's registration activities, warning locals that the initiative is not regulated in Kenya. Worldcoin asserts that its operations are compliant with Kenyan law, but Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has informed the Kenyan parliament that the initiative is not incorporated as a legal entity.
Worldcoin announced that it chose Kenya as the first African nation in which to launch its operations due to the country's expanding tech sector and the large number of Kenyans who trade cryptocurrencies. The company is also active in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Japan.
Various data protection agencies, in
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cluding those in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, have begun examining the crypto initiative to ensure that no data regulations are being violated.
