Kenya Data Protection Office Challenges Worldcoin’s Privacy Violations in Court
The Data Protection Office has stated that the handling of individuals’ personal information in the context of the Worldcoin project does not comply with the data protection principles outlined in section 25 of the legislation.
The court’s intervention has been requested by the authorities at the office; if this doesn’t happen, the personal data of Kenyans that were collected during the World Coin project will be subject to deletion and alteration.
In a sworn statement, Deputy Data Commissioner Oscar Otieno asserts that after evaluating the activities of the Worldcoin project within the nation, he is convinced that it poses a risk to the safety of Kenyan citizens. He further mentions that ongoing investigations are being conducted about this matter.
“The Applicant is undertaking investigations about Worldcoin operations in Kenya by the Respondents. The Worldcoin project, a matter of great public interest, is described by the Respondent on its website as a project ‘aimed at establishing universal access to the global economy regardless of country or background. It is designed to become the world’s largest human identity and financial network, giving ownership to everyone,” reads court papers.
Otieno also mentions that the evaluation of Worldcoin by the commission began in May 2022. During this evaluation period, they temporarily halted their activities for a period of 60 days to confirm the legal foundation of the procedures and safety measures implemented by those being reviewed.
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“The applicant believes that the respondents are likely to tamper with erase, modify or further process the personal the personal data contrary to the data protection Act 2019 thereby frustrating the investigation currently being conducted by the applicant,” reads the affidavit.
The commission is requesting court-issued preservation orders, stating that these orders will support ongoing investigations and allow them to safeguard the personal information gathered from Kenyan individuals.
The instructions will help with the continuous inquiries aimed at determining whether the handling of personal data goes against the regulations outlined in the Act.
The commission is requesting the court to issue directives that would halt any more gathering of information from Kenyan individuals, as mentioned in the documents.
“Despite the suspension and directive to cease processing of personal data, the respondents continued to process the said personal data. It took the public directive by the CS Interior to halt their operations on August 2,” says Otieno.
Kenya Data Protection Office Challenges Worldcoin’s Privacy Violations in Court