Catenaa, Tuesday, May 06, 2025-Following Indonesia coming down hard on the World Foundation, Kenya High Court has ordered the biometric data project to delete all user data collected locally and cease further data harvesting, citing violations of constitutional privacy rights.
The foundation, formerly known as Worldcoin and co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, was directed to permanently erase facial images and iris scans within seven days.
The court further barred the project from collecting or processing any biometric data in Kenya, stating it had failed to carry out a legally required data protection impact assessment.
Justice Aburili Roselyne, delivering the ruling on Monday, supported a petition filed by the Katiba Institute and ICJ Kenya, which argued that World’s actions breached Article 31 of Kenya’s Constitution. Kenya had been among World’s largest user bases before the government suspended the project in August 2023. Although authorities dropped a related investigation in 2024, World’s attempt to resume operations met immediate legal resistance.
Just a day prior to Kenya’s ruling, Indonesia’s digital ministry suspended World’s operating permit, citing violations of electronic system regulations. Despite mounting global scrutiny, the project announced US expansion last week, launching in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco.
Following the Kenyan court order, the price of World’s token, WLD, fell 6.99% to $0.89, with its market cap standing at $1.2 billion.
