Monday, May 5, 2025 - The High Court has ordered the Worldcoin Foundation to permanently delete all iris and facial data collected from Kenyans within seven days, under the supervision of the Data Protection Commissioner.
The directive was issued on Monday, May 5th, by
Lady Justice Aburili Roselyne in a ruling that declared Worldcoin’s operations
in Kenya violated citizens’ right to privacy.
"An order of Mandamus compelling the Worldcoin
Foundation and its agents to permanently delete (under the supervision of the
Data Protection Commissioner) within seven days any biometric data collected in
Kenya without undertaking (or using an inadequate) Data Protection Impact
Assessment," the court ordered.
Justice Aburili also issued a prohibition barring the
Foundation and its agents from collecting, processing, or dealing with
biometric data, and granted an order of Certiorari nullifying the Foundation’s
previous decision to do so.
The judgment followed a legal challenge filed by the Katiba
Institute, which questioned the collection, processing, and transfer of
biometric data using the Worldcoin App and Orb scanner.
In 2023, thousands of Kenyans flocked to the Kenyatta
International Convention Centre (KICC) to register their biometric data in
exchange for cryptocurrency valued at Ksh7,000.
However, the initiative was suspended by the Government amid
national security concerns.
Despite the halt, Worldcoin’s developer, Tools for Humanity,
announced in June 2024 plans to resume operations after the Director of Public
Prosecutions closed the case.
The court’s ruling now casts uncertainty over those plans.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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