REGULATION | WorldCoin to Reportedly Resume ID Verification in Kenya After Police Drop Investigations

WorldCoin, the cryptocurrency and human registration project associated with OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, is reportedly set to resume operations in Kenya after police dropped a probe they had opened against WorldCoin.

The policies are said to have conducted investigations on an array of allegations into the activities of WorldCoin which was suspended in August 2023 The investigations touched on the alleged unlawful collection and transfer of personal sensitive data.

“The resultant investigation file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for an independent review and advice,” said a letter from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to WorldCoin, seen by the local Star newspaper.

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

DCI is said to have further advised WorldCoin that for prudent continued operations, they consider proper business registration services in liaison with the Registrar of Business registry and proper licensing and Coordination by the Office of the Data Protection Commission (ODPC) and the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK).

The police also recommended that they conduct thorough vetting and establish legal contracts with all third-party vendors operating within the country.

According to Thomas Scott, the company Operations Director:

“We are grateful for the DCI’s fair investigation and for the Director of Public Prosecutions’ determination to close the matter. This welcome result is, however, not an end but a beginning.

“We will continue working with the Government of Kenya and others and we hope to resume World ID registration across the country soon. For today, we are just pleased to return our focus to advancing Worldcoin’s mission: creating opportunities for people in Kenya and elsewhere to participate in the global economy,” he said.

The company lawyer had on May 21, 2024, written to the DCI to request an update on the status of the case.

As reported by BitKE in December 2023, the cryptocurrency project was set to resume operations in Kenya after talks with the government where an agreement was reached to allow the US-based firm to resume operations under new guidelines.