Worldcoin to resume operations as Kenyan police drop investigations

Decentralized ID protocol Worldcoin has been cleared to resume operations in Kenya after the country’s police dropped all investigations against it. The Kenyan police added that it will take no further action against the company.

The details

• According to Reuters, Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) communicated this to Worldcoin’s attorneys in a letter dated June 14.
• This comes six months after an undisclosed government official said an agreement had been reached to allow the blockchain company to resume operations under new guidelines.
• Worldcoin’s legal officer, Thomas Scott, expressed gratitude to the Kenyan authorities, adding that the company will resume onboarding users across the East African country soon.

What was said

• A portion of DCI’s letter to Worldcoin reads:

“Upon review of the file, the Director of Public Prosecutions ... directed that the file be closed with no further police action.”

Some background

• Last year, Worldcoin went live in Nairobi, Kenya despite several concerns about its privacy and the security of the data it collects from subscribers.
• It quickly grew popular in the country mainly because of its 25 WLD signup bonus, worth about 7500 Kenyan shillings at the time. In its first week alone, 350,000 Kenyans were scanned with Worldcoin’s orbs and registered on the platform.
• In response, Kenya’s Ministry of Interior suspended Worldcoin’s activities in the country and an inter-agency investigation was launched against it. The Kenyan police also raided the company’s warehouse and confiscated several pieces of equipment.
• In a parliamentary hearing, Kenyan legislators accused Worldcoin of taking advantage of the limitations of Kenyan laws to operate without proper permission.
• Its licenses were subsequently revoked, and a parliamentary committee recommended the company’s shutdown and called for legal action against it.
• It is unclear how Worldcoin has managed to overcome the concerns raised by the Kenyan government, or how it has avoided legal proceedings in Kenya despite its ongoing court struggles in other countries.
• In addition, despite its claim to resume operations, there are no indications that its revoked licenses have been restored.
• The new guidelines under which Worldcoin is now permitted to operate have also not been made known yet.