Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki and his ICT counterpart Eliud Owalo have been given a week to provide substantive answers on the world coin cryptocurrency data mining scandal.
National Assembly speaker Wetangula granted the two CSs seven days to shed light on how the company was registered, whether the data collected amounted to a breach of security, and what measures have been put in place to guarantee the safety of data mined by the firm.
Wetangula also directed the office of the data protection commissioner to be excepted from the multi-agency probe alluding that it could be compromised.
The Kenyan government is investigating the cryptocurrency data mining scandal involving the company which has been accused of collecting iris scans from Kenyans without their consent, in violation of the country’s data protection laws.
The scandal first came to light in July 2023, when Kenyan lawmakers raised concerns about the company’s operations. The company had been operating in Kenya for several months and had enrolled over 350,000 Kenyans in its data mining program.
The company’s representatives have claimed that they were collecting iris scans with the consent of Kenyans, but lawmakers have disputed this claim. They have also raised concerns about the security of the data that Worldcoin has collected.
In response to the scandal, the Kenyan government has issued a freeze order on the movement into and out of the country for all those involved in Worldcoin’s operations in Kenya. The government has also directed the office of the data protection commissioner to be excluded from the multi-agency probe into the scandal, alleging that the office could be compromised.
The Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kithure Kindiki, has said that the government will take action against those who have committed crimes in connection with the Worldcoin scandal. He has also assured Kenyans that the country is safe, but that they should be aware of the risks associated with data mining.
The ICT Cabinet Secretary, Eliud Owalo, has said that the government is keen to establish whether the Worldcoin mining data project was an attack on the nation. He has also expressed concerns about the authenticity of the data that Worldcoin has collected.
The Worldcoin cryptocurrency data mining scandal is a serious matter that has raised concerns about the privacy and security of Kenyans. The government’s investigation into the scandal is ongoing, and it is important to stay tuned for updates.
