Kenyan police raided a warehouse belonging to Worldcoin cryptocurrency on Saturday, seizing documents and machines that the company used to collect data from people who agreed to have their eyeballs scanned.
The raid came after the Kenyan government suspended Worldcoin’s operations in the country, citing security concerns. Privacy experts have also raised concerns about the sensitive data that Worldcoin collects, which could be used for identity theft or other malicious purposes.
Worldcoin, founded by US tech entrepreneur Sam Altman, offers free crypto tokens to people who agree to have their eyeballs scanned. The company claims that the data collected from these scans will be used to create a new global “identity and financial network.”
However, the Kenyan government has said that Worldcoin did not disclose its true intentions when it registered with the Data Commissioner’s Office. The government is now investigating the company’s activities and has said that it will take “all necessary measures” to protect Kenyan citizens’ data.
Also Read: Worldcoin Says Will Allow Companies, Governments to Use Its ID System
Worldcoin has said that it is cooperating with the government’s investigation and that it will implement crowd-control measures to prevent unauthorized access to its data. The company has also said that it is working to obtain the necessary licenses to operate in Kenya.
The raid on Worldcoin’s warehouse is the latest in a series of setbacks for the company. In recent months, Worldcoin has been banned from operating in several countries, including France, Germany, and Spain. The company has also been criticized by privacy experts, who have raised concerns about the potential for the data collected by Worldcoin to be misused.
It remains to be seen whether Worldcoin will be able to overcome these challenges and launch its cryptocurrency in Kenya. However, the raid on the company’s warehouse is a clear indication that the Kenyan government is taking the company’s activities seriously.
