Kenya’s High Court has issued a landmark order requiring the global deletion of biometric data collected by Worldcoin following a recent crackdown on biometric data practices in Indonesia. The court’s decision comes after months of public concern over how Worldcoin and similar projects handle sensitive personal information, particularly in developing countries.
Worldcoin, a project co-founded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, collects iris scans in exchange for digital tokens. The company claims this process is necessary to create a secure and unique digital identity for each user. However, privacy advocates and regulators have raised alarms about the risks of storing and processing such sensitive biometric data, especially when collected from vulnerable populations.
Following Indonesia’s suspension of Worldcoin due to privacy concerns over biometric data, including a lack of transparency and potential misuse, a Kenyan court has now ordered the global deletion of Worldcoin’s biometric data. These actions reflect increasing global opposition to large-scale biometric data collection, lacking clear safeguards and user consent.
In Kenya, the court found that Worldcoin’s data collection practices violated national privacy laws and failed to adequately protect users’ personal information. The court ordered Worldcoin to delete all biometric data gathered from Kenyan citizens and instructed the company to halt further data processing activities in the country. The ruling also called on international regulators to ensure that biometric data collected elsewhere is deleted, setting a precedent for cross-border data protection enforcement.
This decision marks a significant moment in the ongoing debate over digital identity, privacy, and the responsibilities of blockchain-based projects operating globally. It signals to other crypto and Web3 companies that robust data protection measures are essential when handling sensitive user information.
Meanwhile, RedStone and Worldcoin are partnering to integrate RedStone’s oracle solutions into World Chain, a Layer 2 blockchain. The collaboration seeks to deliver high-quality data for DeFi applications on World Chain by utilizing RedStone’s expertise as a prominent Oracle provider.
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