Kenyan court rules against WorldCoin, orders shutdown
The company did not register as a data processor before commencing its activities in Kenya.
Kenya.- Kenya’s High Court has directed WorldCoin, the biometric cryptocurrency initiative co-founded by Sam Altman, to delete all biometric data collected from Kenyan citizens and cease its operations in the country.
The Nairobi High Court determined that WorldCoin had breached data protection laws by collecting, processing, and transferring Kenyans’ biometric data without the necessary approval from the ODPC.
According to Justice Roselyne Aburili, the presiding judge, WorldCoin’s collection and processing of biometric data, including iris and facial scans, violated Kenya’s Data Protection Act. The cryptocurrency firm allegedly failed to conduct a mandatory Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) and did not register as a data processor before commencing its activities in Kenya.
Justice Aburili ordered WorldCoin to permanently delete all collected biometric data within seven days, under the supervision of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC). The court also barred WorldCoin from collecting, processing, or dealing in biometric data or obtaining user consent through incentives like digital tokens.
This ruling wraps up a two-year legal battle initiated by local advocacy groups, the Katiba Institute and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Kenya, who questioned the legitimacy of WorldCoin’s activities in Kenya. The petitioners also claimed that WorldCoin violated the principle of informed consent by incentivising participation in iris scans with cryptocurrency worth $55.
A Milestone for Data Privacy
Human rights organisations and other stakeholders have hailed the court’s decision as a significant milestone in upholding data privacy and digital rights in Kenya.
Protas Saende, chair of ICJ Kenya, said: “The judgment rightly underscores that even in the digital age, constitutional rights, especially the right to privacy under Article 31 of the Constitution, must be upheld.
“We commend the ODPC for its strong, persuasive submissions, which greatly informed the Court’s deliberations. This ruling is a powerful precedent not just for Kenya but globally, affirming that rights must remain paramount in technological innovation.”
About WorldCoin
WorldCoin aims to build a universally owned identity and financial platform, prioritising inclusivity and tackling fraud risks. Its approach to fulfilling this objective involves scanning the iris with a tool called ‘the Orb’ to generate a unique identifier, which is then uploaded to its blockchain.
The company’s first major run-in with regulatory authorities in Kenya was in 2023, when the Ministry of Interior suspended its operations over concerns about public security. However, it survived that hurdle after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) found that it posed no public threat and closed its investigation in 2024.
