A parliamentary committee has called for the closure of WorldCoin in Kenya
A parliamentary committee tasked with investigating WorldCoin by the Kenyan government has recommended that regulators shut down the project in the country.
A report released by the Kenyan parliament on September 30 found that WorldCoin continued to collect personal data of Kenyan residents to stop an order passed in May – possibly including the data of minors. The committee recommended that Kenyan authorities “disable the virtual platforms” of Worldcoin and investigate the companies for criminal charges.
“Registration by Kenyans on the WorldCoin Online app has continued despite a court order and other administrative directives,” the report said.
The report cited privacy concerns for Kenyans, but it was difficult or impossible to determine the number of ‘orbs' in the country – which the WorldCoin project uses to allow users to verify their iris scans. The committee's recommendations include that the government consider implementing a comprehensive framework for digital assets and virtual asset service providers in Kenya, as well as amending existing regulations to address cybercrime and tax reporting requirements.
Lawmakers added:
“The adoption and use of cryptocurrency to fully decentralize the global financial system threatens statehood.”
Related: Worldcoin launch sparks debate on data privacy and future AI
WorldCoin, which aims to distinguish real people from bots online by offering identity verification through retinal scans, has already logged millions of registrations by July. However, the project has come under scrutiny from global regulators who say it is violating rules and regulations on data protection and user privacy.
Authorities in Germany, Argentina, France and the United Kingdom have raised concerns about WorldCoin or initiated inquiries into its activities. Cointelegraph reached out to Worldcoin, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
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