The United States Government is pressuring Kenya to lift the suspension of WorldCoin in the country. This is according to Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki who revealed this to the National Assembly’s committee on Public Petitions.
The ban on WorldCoin was imposed in August 2023 due to data privacy concerns. The US government did not comment on this but it is now clear that they have been working behind the scenes to have the ban lifted. WorldCoin is an American company but funny enough, Americans can’t use, buy or access the Worldcoin token (WLD). This includes US citizens, residents, anyone in the US, or any companies based or registered in the US. WorldCoin says the token is only available in places where the laws allow it.
If the US laws do not allow the buy and sell of WLD, it is ridiculous to see the same government push for the suspension to be lifted. I have reached out to the US press office in Nairobi for their statement but as of writing this I haven’t received any feedback.
Mr Kindiki said the Kenyan government is still firm on its stand and has no plans to lift the ban.
“The United States has been pushing the government on the issues of WorldCoin, but we have remained adamant and firm,” he said. “They (US) think that they (WorldCoin) still have a case to set up their activities here. We have remained adamant and the decision we took will remain. We are not going to review the suspension.”
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) issued an advisory against the project in the country urging people to be vigilant and be careful ensuring they have all the key information before disclosing any sensitive data.
Also Read: Why We Should Embrace Privacy-Enhancing Tech to Improve Consumer Data Privacy