Worldcoin resumes operations in Kenya amid the Reject Bill 2024 demonstrations

The Kenyan police have dropped a probe they had opened against Worldcoin, the crypto project by Tools for Humanity. Worldcoin’s resumed operations in the country come amid corruption uproar from the Kenyan citizens to its government. 

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Kenyan police have discontinued their investigation into Worldcoin’s suspected illegal data collection, allowing the crypto project to resume operations. Worldcoin, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, was suspended in August over privacy concerns. Its goal is to build a digital identity network.

Worldcoin to resume Kenya operations after police drop investigation

Worldcoin is being offered by Tools for Humanity, a company co-founded by Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. According to its website, it boasts a user base of 5.7 million individuals from over 160 countries.

The company’s legal representative sent a formal letter to the DCI on May 21, 2024, asking for an update regarding the case’s progress.

In a letter dated June 14, 2024, Hilary Kimutai stated that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) conducted a thorough and impartial investigation into several allegations regarding Worldcoin’s activities in Kenya last year. 

The investigation focused on the alleged unauthorized collection and transfer of personal sensitive data.

The resultant investigation file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for an independent review and advice. Upon review of the file, the Director of Public Prosecutions concurred and directed that the file be closed with no further police action.

Kenya’s DCI.

The DCI has advised Worldcoin to ensure prudent operations by carrying out proper business registration services in collaboration with the Registrar of Business Registry. Additionally, they should obtain the necessary licensing and coordination from the Office of the Data Protection Commission (ODPC) and the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK).

The police also recommended that they thoroughly screen and legally contract all third-party vendors within the country.

Worldcoin’s response to the probe closure

Company operations in Kenya were suspended in August 2023 due to alleged issues with the necessary documentation. The company operations director, Thomas Scott, expressed gratitude for the most recent developments.

We are grateful for the DCI’s fair investigation and for the Director of Public Prosecutions’ determination to close the matter.

This welcome result is, however, not an end but a beginning. We will continue working with the Government of Kenya and others and we hope to resume World ID registration across the country soon. For today, we are just pleased to return our focus to advancing Worldcoin’s mission: creating opportunities for people in Kenya and elsewhere to participate in the global economy.

Thomas Scott

It is also essential to mention that Worldcoin and Tools for Humanity are still the subject of several investigations that are pending in other countries.

Currently, Germany is the only country in Europe that lists “Orbs” as being available. However, this could change. Bavaria’s data protection authority (DPA) is investigating complaints regarding Worldcoin.

 Tools for Humanity maintains an organization in Bavaria, which has served as the focal point of numerous GDPR investigations. Worldcoin has agreed not to relaunch operations in Spain, where it ceased operations earlier this year in response to an order from the DPA until the Bavarian DPA’s investigation is completed.

Portugal’s DPA has subsequently turned its attention to the company’s U.S. entity and has begun its own investigation into the complaints. In the interim, it also banned Worldcoin from conducting business.

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Cryptopolitan reporting by Florence Muchai