The government of Kenya has recently announced the suspension of operations by Worldcoin, a new cryptocurrency and digital identity project, until further notice.
Worldcoin was collecting iris scans from people in exchange for digital IDs as part of their rollout. But authorities weren't sure if all the personal biometric data gathering was on the up and up. They want to ensure Worldcoin poses no risks to the security of Kenyan citizens before allowing the project to continue gathering such sensitive information. This Worldcoin project just launched last month after 3 years in development. The founders wanted to distinguish real humans from bots using a "proof-of-personhood" system involving iris scans. But the whole iris data collection part hasn't sat well with Kenyan authorities. Kenya's Minister of Internal Security announced an investigation into how Worldcoin was getting all this sensitive data and whether it was even legal. They also warned they'd take action if needed against anyone helping further Worldcoin's efforts in Kenya for now.
