Over the last few days there has been a lot of noise about Kenya’s decision to suspend its operations of newly launched blockchain, eyeball scanning cryptocurrency project Worldcoin. The project that is being branded as a “digital passport” aims to use identity verification iris biometric technology to differentiate humans from AI bots.
The cryptocurrency can only be used once the user has verified their identity through what looks like a large digital eye-ball like globe that scans the users eyeball to verify their identity and issue them with a World ID.
According to Worldcoin whitepaper, World ID is a privacy preserving proof of personhood. It enables users to verify their humanness online while maintaining their privacy through zero-knowledge proofs, via a custom biometric device called the Orb.
World ID aspires to be personbound, meaning a World ID should only be used by the individual it was issued to. It should be very difficult to use by a fraudulent actor who stole or acquired World ID credentials. Further, it should always be possible for an individual to regain possession of a lost or stolen World ID.
The project which officially launched in 2021, has now surpassed the 2 million user mark with active users in 120 countries. Verification through the orb is active in 34 countries, however, there have been rising concerns of it being a data security risk.
Some of the countries with pop-up locations for registration include; Portugal, Spain, Singapore, Japan, and U.S.A.
According to Reuters, Kenya’s interior ministry announced that it had suspended the local activities of cryptocurrency project Worldcoin while government agencies have taken it up to assess the potential risks to public safety.
Regardless of the company’s claims that it is secure and safe, there are several conflicting views held by government officials about Kenya’s decision to suspend the project.
The Citizen Digital reported that the Cabinet Secretary for ICT and Digital Economy, Eliud Owlao said that Worldcoin, is operating legally in Kenya.  Within day’s of its launch Kenyans flocked to shopping malls and other outlets to begin with the registration process. After 1 week, 350,000 Kenyans registered for Worldcoin.
When asking Worldcoin about their response to the decision they said that the demand for Worldcoin’s proof of personhood verification services in the country has been overwhelming, resulting in tens of thousands of individuals waiting in lines over a two-day period to secure a World ID.
This has led to a temporary pause, in an effort to mitigate the overwhelming crowd volume. The team have also purposed to develop an onboarding program that encompasses more robust crowd control measures and work with local officials to increase understanding of the privacy measures and commitments Worldcoin implements, not only in Kenya, but globally.
Alex Blania from Worldcoin recently tweeted that TFH has temporarily paused World ID verifications in Kenya while they continue to work with local regulators to address their questions. He also apologised to Kenyans for the delay and emphasised that World ID is primarily built for privacy.
TFH has paused World ID verifications in Kenya as we continue to work with local regulators to address their questions. We apologize to everyone in Kenya for the delay. World ID is built for privacy. We look forward to resuming operations, while continuing global rollout.
Here you can find a tweet from Alex Blania regarding Kenya and below you can find a more robust comment from the Worldcoin Foundation on the matter along with a handful of additional background points.
Additionally on background, it is worth noting the conflicting views held by governmental officials in Kenya with regard to Worldcoin’s operations. Please see the following which illustrates the different perspectives or positions. Also attached please find the certificates indicating the project was permitted to collect and process data.
Taking this into consideration, the Kenyan government and Office of Data Commissioner is equally concerned about the well fare of its citizens and the possibility of Kenyans being exploited and have issued warnings to Kenyans to be cautious.