WorldCoin must delete all user data and stop collecting biometric data from Kenyans. The country’s high court ruled in the latest blow to Sam Altman’s controversial project.
A judge for Abrili Rosley ruled that the World Coin Foundation and its agents must stop “from further processing, collection or trading of biometric data.” Additionally, you should not obtain consent from users by guiding or seducing them with a digital token.
The ruling is the culmination of two years of legal battles belonging to two local advocacy groups, Katiba Institute and ICJ Kenya, two local advocacy groups. The latter is the Kenya branch of the International Law Committee.
The court further threw out WorldCoin’s decision to collect user data without conducting a data protection impact assessment that violates the national data protection laws. WorldCoin paid users who provided biometric data with WLD tokens.
This project must permanently delete all user data within seven days under the supervision of the Data Protection Commission (ODPC). The judge also revoked the data processing certificate.
ICJ Kenya welcomed the ruling and described it as a “strong precedent” that affirms globally that rights must still be the most important in technological innovation, not just Kenya.
“The ruling rightly emphasizes that even in the digital age we must support constitutional rights, especially rights,” he added.
The Kenya branch of Amnesty International also praised the ruling, which is called “an important milestone in the protection of data privacy and digital rights in Kenya.”
“The court’s directive to delete all illegally acquired biometric data is not merely a legal necessity, but an important act of restoring the rights of the data subject and reaffirming human dignity in the digital age.”
The ruling is the latest blow to WorldCoin, which was one of its biggest markets. At launch, the project paid hundreds of thousands of Kenyans to 25 WLD tokens, worth $55 at the time.
However, soon the Kenyan government opposed the project. In August 2023, WorldCoin ordered it to close, and weeks later, lawmakers were burning executives from the company, including CEO Alex Blania, about using Kenyan data. Lawmakers recommended that the government shut down the project completely due to “spying.”
Worldcoin has never recovered the Kenyan market, claiming it would resume operations in 2024 after authorities removed some of the charges against it.
Shortly after the ruling in Kenya, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital Issues stopped the project over “suspecting activities.”
Surveillance: Digital identity is the core part of Web3.
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