The level of skepticism surrounding Worldcoin, the controversial Web3 project in Kenya, appears to be intensifying with each passing day. Recently, Kenyan authorities conducted a raid on Worldcoin’s office in Nairobi, during which they confiscated all the stored information of registered users. This action was in response to a government order that suspended Worldcoin-related activities indefinitely. Sam Altman, the founder of ChatGPT parent firm, OpenAI, is the mastermind behind this contentious project.
Launched on July 24, Altman’s Worldcoin project aims to establish a network of genuine human users rather than relying on robots. The San Francisco-based company seeks to assign “World IDs” to individuals worldwide, thereby granting them a global identity of personhood. This identity would eliminate the need for users to disclose personal information when interacting with websites. To achieve this, Worldcoin requires individuals to submit their eye scans for biometric verification using their proprietary spherical machine called the Orb.
During the raid, Kenyan law enforcement seized Worldcoin’s records and machines, which have been taken to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters for further analysis. Immaculate Kassait, the commissioner of Kenya’s Office of the Data Protection, is overseeing the investigation into Worldcoin’s parent company, Tools for Humanity, for allegedly withholding their true intentions when registering in Kenya.
The Kenyan authorities turned their attention to Worldcoin following a surge in registrations after the project’s official launch in July. All registered individuals have submitted their iris scans through the Orb, and videos of this process have circulated on social media.
JUST IN: Kenya suspends Worldcoin over safety concerns.
Thousands of people have been lining up to scan their eyeballs in exchange for crypto. pic.twitter.com/jrv9CyzpL6
Ok, the main issue with World Coin is at this rate of turnout, somebody was disturbed why you can’t turn out like this to register to vote
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki Governor Sakaja Crazy Kennar Chira HELB Shakahola Russia Nairobi pic.twitter.com/c9oqYHQqTb
Individuals who register for World IDs can also claim the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain-based project, WLD tokens. Amidst the ongoing controversy, the price of WLD tokens dropped from $2.26 (approximately Rs. 187) on August 4 to $1.92 (approximately Rs. 158) on August 8.
Crypto founders and industry insiders share the skepticism towards Worldcoin. Sathvik Vishwanath, Co-Founder and CEO of Unocoin crypto exchange, expressed concerns about the project’s collection of biometric data, emphasizing the privacy risks involved. Although the Worldcoin team, led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, claims that Orb does not store user data, skeptics remain cautious.
Worldcoin has also made its way to India, with registration booths set up in metro stations around the National Capital Region (NCR) and tech hub Bengaluru. Despite probes initiated by France, Germany, and Kenya, Indian authorities have not yet taken action against Worldcoin.
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Deepak Sen is a tech enthusiast who covers the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets. His articles provide readers with a glimpse into the ever-evolving world of technology.
