According to local media reports, the Kenyan government has closed down the software company Tools Four, which operates the identity encryption protocol WorldCoin, after it was revealed that the project’s iris scans made some people sick.・Humanity’s operating license has been revoked.
World Coin was already below suspension According to the Kenyan Ministry of Home Affairs. The country’s financial, security and data protection authorities have been investigating the legitimacy and data security of the Sam Altman-backed project since early August.
Also read: World Coin: Witness tells Kenyan parliament he had eye problems after iris test
WorldCoin CEO: “We do not sell user data”
On September 6, Alex Brania, co-founder and CEO of Germany-based Tools for Humanity, presented WorldCoin in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, according to an online publication. He appeared before a parliamentary committee investigating the matter to defend his organization. Bitcoin KE.
🇰🇪 #World Coin@AlexBranier CEO of @World Coin Appeared before a Kenyan committee investigating WorldCoin’s activities. pic.twitter.com/wVySvinZkl
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) September 7, 2023
His testimony came the day after witness Shigekusu Marube. Said The commission reported that he developed eye problems after undergoing an iris scan using WorldCoin’s so-called “orb” device. Mogus said she had to seek medical attention because her eyes “started to water.”
Mr Brania revealed that about 635,000 people in Kenya have downloaded the WorldCoin app so far. Of these, 301,000 users have registered and verified their details. About 195,000 tokens have yet to be scanned, making a total of 5 million WorldCoin tokens “pending,” he said.
The CEO, who was reportedly “heavily pursued” by a 17-member task force on WorldCoin, has faced several allegations against his project, including accusations of mishandling personal data. denied.
“For the avoidance of doubt, WorldCoin is not and will never be involved in the collection or sale of data,” Branier told lawmakers.
“No one, not even Tools for Humanity, can link biometric data to World ID. Moreover, the internal schematics and most of the technical details of this technology are publicly available on the Internet, and no one, not even Tools for Humanity, can link biometric data to World ID. can now be confirmed,” he added.
world coin Give people free money in exchange for iris scans. The company has acquired unique biometric IDs for people in 120 countries. We want to create a digital world ID that differentiates humans from AI. In Kenya, the user obtained 25 WLD coins, or $60, before the outage.
License revoked due to World Coin protests
In his address to the committee, Branier also spoke about WorldCoin’s data collection and protection practices. He said a device known as an “orb” scans a person’s iris and the scanned image is translated into a unique code.
Data is stored on servers located in South Africa, Germany, Italy and Poland. According to a report from BitcoinKE, the iris code is stored in the United States. Scott Thomas, WorldCoin’s chief legal officer, said the company lost its operating license on the eve of its appearance before the commission.
Kenya’s data authority, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), has canceled the license, which was originally issued in June 2022.
“ODPC revoked our certificate yesterday evening, which is no doubt interesting. They provided four reasons for the cancellation, but we respectfully request that the cancellation depart from our normal process. “We believe this is a departure from sound fundamental facts,” Thomas said.
“Subsequently, we worked with the Data Commissioner’s Office to secure a certificate of registration as a data controller.” “We are doing it,” he added.
Brania, CEO of Tools for Humanity, called on Kenyan lawmakers to investigate WorldCoin’s suspension and revocation of its license. He is asking regulators to allow the company to continue operating in the East African country under regulatory supervision.
“We would like to ask the Commission to investigate this matter with a view to enacting regulations. We are praying that the suspension will be lifted with the necessary legal and regulatory oversight,” Branier said.
At the time of writing, WorldCoin’s WLD token was down 5.7% at $1.23. according to Data from CoinGecko. The token has lost 67% of its value since its launch on July 24th.
