Kenyan court orders Worldcoin to delete biometric data in 7 days

The High Court of Kenya has ordered Worldcoin (CRYPTO:WLD), the digital identity project backed by Sam Altman, to permanently delete all biometric data collected from Kenyans within seven days.

This ruling was made on May 5, 2025, due to violations of Kenya’s data protection laws.

Justice Roselyne Aburili determined that Worldcoin’s collection and processing of iris scans and facial images was unconstitutional and illegal, as the company had failed to conduct a mandatory Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) and had not registered as a data processor with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC).

The court found that the consent Worldcoin obtained from participants, who were promised cryptocurrency payments of up to 7,000 Kenyan shillings ($55), was invalid.

This consent was considered given under inducement rather than freely, violating Kenyan law.

“The collection and processing of biometric data without adherence to statutory requirements undermines the constitutional right to privacy,” Justice Aburili emphasised, noting the irreversible nature of biometric identifiers.

The case was initiated by the Katiba Institute and the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists, who argued that Worldcoin’s actions compromised user privacy and lacked transparency and accountability.

The court’s ruling prohibits Worldcoin from further collecting or processing biometric data in Kenya without a proper DPIA and valid consent.

It also mandates the supervised destruction of all previously collected biometric data by the ODPC.

This ruling follows public outcry and government intervention in 2023, when large numbers of Kenyans queued for iris scans in exchange for cryptocurrency, raising concerns from human rights advocates and authorities.

At the time of reporting, the Worldcoin (WLD) price was $0.9488.