Kenya remains steadfast, defying US pressure by upholding Worldcoin suspension

Kenya’s Interior secretary has announced that the country has rejected a request from the United States government to lift the suspension on the cryptocurrency project Worldcoin. The suspension was imposed in August 2023 and will remain in effect until the government receives assurances regarding the safety and integrity of financial transactions. The U.S. government has put pressure on Kenya to remove the suspension, but the government is concerned about Worldcoin’s collection of sensitive identification information, such as iris scans, in exchange for a digital ID. Following the suspension, a parliamentary committee was formed to investigate the crypto project. Worldcoin gained popularity in Kenya as people registered for the program by scanning their iris and receiving tokens. In addition to the parliamentary committee, a court has also suspended Worldcoin’s activities pending the completion of a lawsuit filed by the data commissioner’s office. The Worldcoin project, co-founded by Sam Altman, was officially launched in July 2023. It aims to differentiate between humans and AI by creating a digital ID system based on proof-of-personhood.