Iris scanning ongoing despite halt

By Robert Mutasi 

The National Committee for Computer and Cybercrime Coordination has issued a warning about potential ongoing online recruitment for the World Coin project, despite the American company's physical operations in the country being suspended.

David Njoka, the agency's Chief of Cybersecurity Standards and Policy, testified before the National Assembly's Special Committee, urging swift inquiries to determine the true intentions of World Coin's advocates, given the sensitive nature of the data they collected from Kenyan citizens.

Njoka expressed concerns about national security, emphasizing the need to safeguard Kenya's national interests and its citizens, as they could be vulnerable to external threats from a foreign entity.

Uncertainty surrounds the safety of the data collected by the World Coin Project, as it has been revealed that the data is stored on Amazon Web Services in the United States.

Njoka suggested that the Ministry of Interior and National Administration should insist on the preservation of the collected data, allowing for a technical evaluation of the infrastructure used for data collection, transmission, and processing.

He added that if World Coin has violated the terms and conditions of their registration, they should be subject to investigation, prosecution, and potential legal penalties, including administrative fines.

Out of thirty-four countries where similar operations were conducted, Kenyan citizens made the most subscriptions to the Worldcoin cryptocurrency project.

The American company reportedly employed agents who were stationed at thirty locations in Nairobi to gather and transmit iris data.

Njoka clarified that Worldcoin initially presented itself as a research institution, but then escalated its data processing activities, potentially exploiting unsuspecting Kenyans.

He revealed that within a week of Worldcoin's launch on July 22nd, the company announced that it had registered over 350,000 Kenyans, which constituted about 25 percent of the global data registered, a figure that raises concerns.

Njoka informed the MPs that Worldcoin Project had stated that the data would be stored on Amazon Web Services in the United States, a situation that could pose a threat to data sovereignty.

He said, "They assured us that the data is secure, but this claim requires further investigation."

Worldcoin's goal was to register 8 billion people on its cryptocurrency platform, aiming to establish a universal global economy by verifying individuals through retina/iris scans.