A Kenyan parliamentary committee on Monday demanded that the country’s information technology body suspend Worldcoin’s domestic operations.
Early in August, the project was put on hold by the government due to privacy concerns regarding the scanning of individuals’ irises in return for a digital ID, which was intended to establish a new “identity and financial network”.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, co-founded Tools for Humanity, which launched Worldcoin in a number of countries. Additionally, it has drawn attention in France, Germany, and Britain.
Even after the August suspension, the initiative still has a virtual presence in Kenya and is accessible online.
The Communications Authority of Kenya, which oversees communications, should “disable the virtual platforms of Tools for Humanity Corp and Tools for Humanity GmbH Germany (Worldcoin), including blacklisting the IP addresses of related websites,” according to a report from the special committee of 18 parliamentarians.
Additionally, it demanded that the companies’ “physical presence in Kenya” be suspended “until there is a legal framework for regulation of virtual assets and virtual services providers.”
The press office for Worldcoin reported that it had “not seen anything official announced by the Committee directly.”
The findings of the commission will be presented to the National Assembly for review and adoption at a later time.
