Eyeballs Scanner Worldcoin Under Fierce Eyes in Kenyan Lawmakers

Sam Altman’s another “wanna be world-changing” project, Worldcoin, is hardly able to make any developing move, let alone venture to the sky highs. The eyeballs scanning-based project is already facing backlash, prior to kicking off the operations, in many prominent countries worldwide. In a recent development, the project faced another hit in Kenya where a group of lawmakers demanded a complete halt of its operations. 

Reuters reported that a parliamentary panel in Kenya asked the Communications Authority of Kenya to shut down Worldcoin’s operations in the region. The ad hoc panel had 18 lawmakers who requested the halt until a strong regulatory framework was put in place. 

Though Kenya already suspended operations in the region, and it was the first one to make such a decision, the project managed to ensure a digital presence. Its users in the country were accessing it through the internet which was highlighted as a concern in the report from the panel. 

A tech company dubbed Tools for Humanity is behind the Worldcoin project. The company helped people access the project and continued the operations despite the shutdown order.

Kenyan lawmakers suggested the Communications Authority of Kenya to disable the virtually available platforms of Tools for Humanity Corp. and Tools for Humanity GmbH Germany. In addition, it added to blacklist the related internet protocol (IP) addresses to ensure complete dissociation. 

Privacy Concerns With Worldcoin Persists

In addition to the access to the project despite the shutdown, some serious privacy concerns are also related to it, the report noted. The Worldcoin project has no mechanisms to verify the user’s age which makes even minors scan their irises. 

Worldcoin, under the stewardship of Tools for Humanity, has positioned itself as a pioneering platform offering a distinctive “identity and financial network.” Nonetheless, it has faced backlash and intense scrutiny for its methods of collecting user data, most notably the practice of scanning individuals’ irises. 

Authorities have expressed reservations about Worldcoin’s approach to obtaining user consent, which included the offering of a monetary incentive slightly exceeding $50, raising concerns of potential coercion.

Furthermore, during the data collection campaign conducted in August, lengthy queues formed as individuals eagerly awaited the chance to have their irises scanned. These developments have ignited a heated debate around Worldcoin’s privacy practices and the ethics of incentivized data collection.

Meanwhile, Worldcoin stated that it has not received any official notification from the Committee or the government. For further updates, the panel’s report is likely to move forward for presentation at the National Assembly. 

Kenya is not the only country with concerns against Worldcoin as countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, and France have also kept a microscopic view over the project. 

Nancy J. Allen is a crypto enthusiast and believes that cryptocurrencies inspire people to be their own banks and step aside from traditional monetary exchange systems. She is also intrigued by blockchain technology and its functioning.

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