Worldcoin, the crypto-backed digital identity project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has officially complied with a Kenyan High Court order by deleting all biometric data collected from Kenyan citizens. This significant move follows a ruling that deemed the firm’s data collection practices unlawful under Kenya’s stringent data protection laws.

The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) confirmed that all iris scans and other biometric identifiers gathered during Worldcoin’s 2023 enrollment exercise have been completely erased from the project’s systems. This eradication aligns with a High Court ruling issued on May 5, 2025, which found that Tools for Humanity—the company behind Worldcoin—had violated the Data Protection Act of 2019. The court specifically cited the collection of sensitive personal data without proper consent and the failure to conduct a mandatory Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA).

Worldcoin’s operations in Kenya commenced in 2023 with the deployment of its signature “orb” devices. These spherical scanners were used to capture iris and facial scans from participants, who were offered 25 free Worldcoin tokens as an incentive. While this offer attracted large crowds, it also generated deep concern among privacy advocates and regulatory bodies from the outset.

Kenya’s regulatory response was swift and decisive. In August 2023, the government officially suspended the project amid escalating fears that the collected data could be misused or transferred outside the country without sufficient safeguards. Prior to this formal suspension, earlier directives from the ODPC had already instructed the company to halt data collection, but these instructions were reportedly ignored until the government intervened.

This development in Kenya closes a significant chapter in the country's dispute with Worldcoin, but it also illuminates broader tensions between technological innovation and individual privacy in the rapidly evolving digital identity space. When Worldcoin first arrived on the African continent, it was promoted as a tool for financial inclusion and a means to establish “proof of personhood” within Web3 systems. However, critics consistently warned that biometric data is inherently sensitive, and offering cryptocurrency tokens as a quid pro quo risked undermining the voluntary nature of consent.

The Kenyan regulators' decision to suspend Worldcoin in August 2023 stemmed directly from these concerns, with authorities noting that the rapid expansion of “iris scanning” without clear legal frameworks posed substantial risks to personal data security and national data sovereignty.

Globally, Worldcoin’s approach has encountered similar scrutiny. Regulatory bodies in regions such as Europe and Southeast Asia have either initiated examinations or imposed restrictions on the project due to persistent concerns over privacy and the validity of consent mechanisms. The Kenyan ruling now stands as one of the most definitive legal rebukes of the project’s data practices, thereby underscoring the urgent global need for clear and robust digital identity governance frameworks, particularly within emerging technology markets.