Kenya Drops Investigation into Worldcoin; Eyeing Resurgence Amid Growth Surge
Summary:
In a significant step for Sam Altman's Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency and digital identity initiative, Kenyan authorities have dropped an investigation into the project, effectively lifting the previous suspension order from 2023. The company's chief legal officer announced plans to continue working with the Kenyan government, hoping to resume World ID registration in the country soon. Despite facing privacy-related scrutiny in several nations, Worldcoin has grown significantly, boasting 10 million registered users on its World App as of April 2024.
In a significant victory for Sam Altman's Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency and digital identity initiative, a previous suspension order in Kenya from 2023 has been annulled. The National Police Service's Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kenya has decided to halt its investigation into Worldcoin, as disclosed in a formal announcement. The announcement, which dating back to June 14, 2024, was in response to a status query on a probe submitted by Worldcoin's legal team in May 2024. After appraisal, the public prosecution department of Kenya agreed to close the Worldcoin case without necessitating further police engagement.
The statement from the law enforcement agency noted that it had conducted a timely and impartial examination of an array of accusations linked to Worldcoin's activities in Kenya during 2022/2023. These charges pertained to the alleged unauthorized collection and transfer of sensitive personal information. After concluding its investigation, Kenyan law enforcement advised Worldcoin to register its business locally, obtain the appropriate licenses, and coordinate with the Data Protection Commission and Communication Authority of Kenya. It also suggested a thorough investigation and legal contract of all third-party vendors operating within Kenya.
Worldcoin's developing company, Tools for Humanity, expressed gratitude for the fair investigation and the decision to close the case by the Director of Public Prosecutions. Thomas Scott, the company's chief legal officer, offered a positive outlook on Worldcoin's future endeavors in Kenya and vowed to continue working with the Kenyan government and others. The plan is to recommence World ID registration throughout the nation soon, he added.
Introduced officially in July 2023 after three years of development, Worldcoin's mission hinges upon providing tools to distinguish humans from artificial intelligence through a system known as Intelligent Retrieval Information System (IRIS) which scans an individual's iris. Upon completion, Worldcoin assigns a World ID, verifying online users as actual humans.
Nevertheless, Worldcoin's distinctive digital ID service raised potential issues centering on users' data protection and privacy from international regulators. Shortly after its launch, Worldcoin was barred in Kenya following the government's decision to suspend all local activities linked with the platform, including biometric identification. However, Worldcoin declared that work was underway in collaboration with the Kenyan authorities to reinstate operations in 2024.
Other countries, such as India, South Korea, Germany, Brazil, and Hong Kong, expressed similar privacy protection concerns and commenced investigations into the firm's data collection practices. In Hong Kong, Worldcoin was mandated to cease its operations in May 2024 due to privacy transgressions.
Despite the initial hiccup in some nations, Worldcoin's network has seen significant growth since its commencement. As of April 2024, the World App by Worldcoin had registered a total of 10 million users, with a daily average of 2 million users and over 5 million monthly active users.
For more on this, look forward to an upcoming episode of the Decentralize with Cointelegraph podcast, wherein a conversation with Tools for Humanity, a significant contributor to Worldcoin, offers insight into the project and its mission.
Published At
6/20/2024 11:36:24 AM
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