Eyes for Crypto: Kenya’s Battle against Unlawful Data Mining by Worldcoin

Local reports in Kenya indicate that Worldcoin is facing allegations from an Ad hoc committee that the company’s operations may have amounted to acts of espionage, endangering the nation’s sovereignty. Worldcoin, criticized for allegedly harvesting data from Kenyans by scanning their eyes in return for crypto tokens, had operations in about 30 places in Nairobi from May 2021. These places included malls and educational centers.

The committee, spearheaded by MP Gabriel Tongoyo from Narok West, is urging a deeper investigation into two linked overseas firms, namely Tools for Humanity (TFH) Corp and Tools for Humanity (TFH) GmbH. There are claims that these entities might have been operating unlawfully in Kenya.

Based on the committee’s findings, these companies appear to have violated numerous Kenyan laws like the Data Protection Act, Consumer Protection Act, and the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act. It’s noteworthy that neither of these companies is listed in Kenya’s Business Registration Services database, which implies they weren’t authorized to do business in Kenya.

Furthermore, it was only in August 2022 that Worldcoin attempted to register as a data controller, even though they started their operations in Kenya a year prior. This move seems to be in direct breach of Kenya’s Data Protection Act of 2019, as pointed out by Kenyan officials.

source