Kenyan Parliament Urges Shutdown of Worldcoin

Kenya's parliamentary committee urges regulators to shut down Worldcoin.

The Kenyan parliamentary committee, tasked with investigating Worldcoin, recommended regulators to halt the project’s activities in the country.

Earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs restricted the local startup’s business to assess potential risks to public safety. This decision opened the door for an investigation.

On 5 August, police officers forming an interagency task force seized documents and equipment. According to the report, Worldcoin assets were handed over by law enforcement to the headquarters of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for analysis.

According to the report, the project continues to collect personal data from Kenyan residents, ‘completely ignoring’ the order to cease operations.

Lawmakers recommended that authorities disable the startup’s ‘virtual platforms,’ and conduct an investigation into possible criminal charges.

The proposals also included the possibility of implementing a comprehensive framework for digital assets and a VASP, with amendments to existing regulations to reflect cybercrime and tax reporting requirements.

“Unregulated adoption and use of cryptocurrencies as an attempt to fully decentralize global monetary systems poses a threat to statehood,” the document says.

Worldcoin launched on July 24. The project’s main product — the World ID protocol — is based on zero-knowledge proofs. It is a mobile identification tool that uses a retina scan or a phone number.

Regulators in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Argentina also expressed interest in Worldcoin’s activities.