Kenya Court Orders Worldcoin to Delete Data and Stop Biometric Collection

Highlights:

• Kenya’s High Court directs Worldcoin to delete all biometric data collected.
• Court rulings ban Worldcoin from processing biometric data in Kenya.
• Despite setbacks, Worldcoin continues U.S. expansion with token incentives in six cities.

Kenya’s High Court ordered Worldcoin to delete all biometric data collected from local users, citing privacy violations. The court stated that the project, now known as the World Foundation and co-founded by OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman, collected sensitive data such as facial images and iris scans without proper safeguards.

On Monday, Lady Justice Aburili Roselyne issued three separate rulings against the Worldcoin Foundation for breaking Kenya’s 2019 data protection law. The court ordered the foundation to remove all facial and eye scan data it had gathered from people in Kenya and give seven days to complete the deletion process. 

The task must be carried out under the guidance of Kenya’s Data Protection Commissioner. The court also banned the foundation and its representatives from collecting, processing, or handling biometric data in Kenya. In addition, it annulled any previous approvals that allowed the company to gather or use such data.

The ruling stated:

“An order of Mandamus compelling the Worldcoin Foundation and its agents to permanently delete (under the supervision of the Data Protection Commissioner) within seven days any biometric data collected in Kenya.”

World coin Data Breach:

Court orders World coin to delete data collected in Kenya

Court says data was collected unlawfully

Data commissioner will supervise the deletion of data #CitizenBriefs @jimkario pic.twitter.com/e4TLMumqOY

— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) May 5, 2025

The case was brought forward by the Katiba Institute and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Kenya, both of which raised concerns over the safety and legality of harvesting personal data from Kenyan citizens.

Following the ruling, the Katiba Institute stated:

“Today, Lady Justice Aburili Roselyne has allowed our Judicial Review Application, where we challenged the collection, processing, and transfer of iris and facial images using the Worldcoin App and the Orb against the Worldcoin Foundation.”

Worldcoin Encounters Setbacks in Major Markets While Advancing U.S. Expansion

Kenya was one of the biggest markets for Worldcoin, with hundreds of thousands signing up before the project was stopped by local authorities in August 2023. In June last year, the project announced plans to restart after the local police ended their investigation.

World’s global expansions frequently spark concerns over data privacy. In Indonesia, World was suspended on Sunday for not registering correctly. Regulators said it may have broken local laws. Data privacy concerns have led to similar actions in Hong Kong, Germany, and Brazil. Despite setbacks in international markets, World is pushing forward in the U.S. It has rolled out in six cities: Austin, Nashville, Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Residents can earn WLD tokens by signing up.

Worldcoin dan WorldID dibekukan sementara oleh Kementerian Komdigi

Pembekuan izin ini dilakukan menyusul adanya laporan masyarakat mengenai aktivitas mencurigakan dari layanan digital itu.#WorldCoin #WorldApp #WorldID pic.twitter.com/eLzv69XhnI

— Kompas.com (@kompascom) May 5, 2025

WLD Token Drops 7% Following Kenya and Indonesia Rulings

After the rulings in Indonesia and Kenya, Worldcoin’s token dropped over 7.34% in 24 hours. At the time of reporting, WLD traded at $0.8787, down from a 24-hour high of $0.9627. Additionally, Worldcoin’s token open interest decreased by 5.15%, reaching $219.42 million.