The High Court has directed the Worldcoin Foundation to permanently delete all iris and facial data it collected from Kenyans within seven days, under the supervision of the Data Protection Commissioner.
Lady Justice Aburili Roselyne issued the ruling that Worldcoin violated the Data Protection Act by collecting sensitive biometric data without a proper impact assessment and thorough inducement using cryptocurrency.
In addition to the deletion order, the court barred Worldcoin and its agents from further processing or collecting biometric data and quashed any decision by the foundation to collect or process such data in Kenya.
The ruling followed a petition filed by the Katiba Institute challenging the legality of Worldcoin’s data collection practices. The court found that the company’s actions infringed on the right to privacy guaranteed to all Kenyans.
In 2023, Worldcoin faced backlash after thousands of Kenyans turned up at KICC to trade biometric data for cryptocurrency.
Though the government halted the activity, Worldcoin’s parent firm, Tools for Humanity, had planned to resume operations following the closure of a criminal investigation earlier this year.