Thousands of Kenyans gathered at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on Tuesday to participate in the highly popular Worldcoin cryptocurrency trade. The cutting-edge Crypto technology, which involves scanning one’s iris in exchange for cash, has gained significant traction in Kenya, prompting long queues that extended as far as City Hall.
Participants were enticed by the promise of receiving free tokens known as WLD after their eyeballs were scanned. The value of WLD 25 tokens equates to Ksh.7786 ($55 USD), adding to the allure of the trade.
Despite concerns raised by the Office of Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), Kenyans remained undeterred in their participation. Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait called for heightened vigilance when signing up for WorldCoin, expressing the commission’s awareness of the project’s launch and its processing of sensitive personal data under the Data Protection Act, 2019.
In response to the privacy concerns, WorldCoin, a project by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has faced criticism, but the company’s website asserts that the project is “completely private.” It claims that user data is either deleted or can be stored in encrypted form as per user preference.
Nevertheless, the ODPC remains diligent in its efforts to ensure compliance with the law and is currently conducting an assessment of WorldCoin’s practices.
Despite the ongoing controversy, Kenyans continue to embrace Worldcoin’s cryptocurrency trade, drawn by the allure of the innovative Crypto technology, as the nation eagerly awaits the outcome of the data protection investigation.
Source: Citizendigital
