cryptonews.net
People who are willing to have their eyes scanned in order to get free crypto tokens from Worldcoin, which was established by American internet entrepreneur Sam Altman, may not do so, as Kenya as moved to suspend Worldcoin operations in its boarders.
This week, thousands of Kenyans have been lining up outside registration facilities in order to get the new money, which is valued at around $49 (£39). Kenya issued the warning to its residents, advising them to exercise caution before providing their data to commercial firms.
In a statement, the Communications Authority of Kenya expressed its worries on the following issues:
• the manner in which the biometric data was maintained;
• the offering of money in return for data;
• the concentration of such a large amount of data with a private firm.
An inquiry into Worldcoin has been started by the Ministry of the Interior, and they have asked the various security services and data protection organisations to look into its legitimacy and determine whether or not it is lawful.
Local Kenyan Media | Source: Twitter
Worldcoin has said, in a statement, that prior to starting operations, the company intends to adopt crowd-control measures and engage with the authorities. It was also said there was compliance with Kenyan rules.
Kenyans registering onto worldcoin to get rewards in a tough economy
Several people who had been waiting in line for registration at one of the pop-up registration centres in the capital city of Nairobi were turned away from the procedure because the enormous throng was deemed to pose a "security risk."
"I've been making my way here virtually every day for the last three days to stand in line and register.” Webster Musa, "I want to register because I'm jobless and I'm broke, and that's why I'm here."
"Yesterday, I was in this area. I waited till the battery on my phone ran out. So I came back today, but unfortunately I was too late to sign up for the event. Because of the money, Worldcoin is one of my favourite cryptocurrencies. I don't have any concerns about the data being collected. "So long as the money keeps coming in," Dickson Muli said.
Worldcoin claims that it is unable to provide an estimate of the number of persons in Kenya who have had their eyes scanned. It asserts that it is developing a brand-new "identity and financial network" on a worldwide scale.
"As a public utility, we are in the process of establishing the world's greatest identification and financial network, and we want to make ownership available to everyone. And enabling universal access to the global economy regardless of the nation in which one resides or their background," says a statement on the website for Worldcoin.
Worldcoin under scrutiny
Mr Altman, the person who started Open AI and was responsible for building the chat bot ChatGPT, has expressed his optimism that the project would assist in determining whether or not a person is a robot. He also suggests that this may result in everyone being paid a universal basic income; however, the manner in which this would occur is not entirely obvious.
The firm is certain that no data is kept in any form. However, many who specialise in privacy are concerned that sensitive information obtained from scanning a person's iris may fall into the wrong hands.
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner in Kenya (ODPC) has issued a call to the general public to be more vigilant while using Worldcoin, stating that the procedure needs "demonstration of proper safeguards under the Data Protection Act 2019." This statement comes after the ODPC issued the call.
The Kenyan Capital Markets Authority (CMA) expressed its worry with the continuing registration process and informed Kenyans that Worldcoin was not authorised in their country.
Individuals in Kenya are afforded protections under the law to ensure that no unnecessary requests for or disclosures of personal information are made about them.
According to digital rights attorney Mercy Mutemi, who spoke with the BBC, there are further, less invasive methods to get the information that Worldcoin is seeking.
"If the point is to illustrate that people are human, all that has to happen is for them to show up. "To demonstrate that people are human, you don't have to resort to the most invasive methods possible," she remarked.
According to Worldcoin's statement to the BBC, the company decided to launch the platform in Kenya as the first African nation since the country's technology sector is already thriving and more than four million Kenyans are currently trading in cryptocurrencies.
Additionally, it has been released in a number of countries, including as Indonesia, France, Japan, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Authorities charged with monitoring data in some nations have previously disclosed that they are looking at Worldcoin.