Kenyan authorities have seized 48 orbs, electronic gadgets and other items from agents of two companies linked to Worldcoin, a digital cryptocurrency that verifies people by scanning their irises, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said Thursday.
Kindiki told a parliamentary committee that the agents, working for Tools for Humanity Corporation and Tools for Humanity Gmbh, were illegally collecting biometric data and giving people about KES 7,000 worth of Worldcoin tokens in exchange.
The items are currently undergoing forensic analysis by national security agencies.
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“The investigations will be expedited in consideration of the public interest and national security concerns, and those found culpable shall be prosecuted in accordance with the law,” Kindiki said.
Kindiki noted the links between cryptocurrency, money laundering and terrorism financing. He said there are currently gaps in Kenya’s cybersecurity and cybercrime prevention laws, particularly in the Data Protection Act of 2021.
“There is a correlation between cryptocurrency, money laundering, and financing of terrorism,” Kindiki said.
To address these issues, Kindiki said a task force has been established to develop regulations under the 2018 Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act that will “help address gaps in cybersecurity and cybercrime prevention and give full effect to the Act.”
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“There exists a legal and regulatory gap in cybersecurity and cybercrime prevention in the Data Protection Act No. 18 of 2021,” he said.
The investigation into Worldcoin’s activities follows rising concerns in Kenya over how the company was planning to use the biometric data it collected. There has been public backlash regarding Worldcoin’s intended use of the data after initial outreach efforts in the country.
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