Kenyan Police Raided Worldcoin Warehouse in Nairobi: Report

Kenyan police officers have reportedly raided a warehouse belonging to the recently launched crypto project Worldcoin, carting away documents and machines for investigative purposes.

According to a report by local media KahawaTungu, police officers showed up at the Nairobi-based warehouse over the weekend with a search warrant and multi-agency officials. They left with equipment believed to store data collected by Worldcoin.

Worldcoin Nairobi Warehouse Raided

Recall that the Kenyan government ordered the suspension of all activities related to Worldcoin’s registration and the distribution of its native token WLD on August 2, less than two weeks after the project’s launch. Relevant agencies want to investigate the legality and authenticity of the project’s launch.

Worldcoin was launched in July as a decentralized identification project to differentiate humans from artificial intelligence bots. Using a proof-of-person concept, the project claims to preserve privacy while combating income inequality.

The most controversial part of the Worldcoin project is the requirement for users to prove their humanity online by scanning their irises through a biometric verification device called Orb and afterward receive free WLD tokens. While the project’s team, led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, stated that the Orb does not store users’ data, the method has sparked concerns about privacy violations.

The machines seized from Worldcoin’s Nairobi warehouse were taken to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters for analysis and investigations. Data Commissioner Immaculate Kassait said Worldcoin’s parent company, Tools for Humanity, did not reveal its true intentions during registration.

Worldcoin Not Registered in Kenya: Government

The Kenyan Capital Markets Authority has also expressed concerns about Worldcoin’s registration activities, alerting residents that the project is not regulated in the country. While Worldcoin claims its operations comply with Kenyan regulations, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has told Parliament that the project is not registered as a legal entity.

Worldcoin announced that it chose Kenya as the first African country to begin its operations because of the nation’s growing tech space and the significant number of Kenyans who trade crypto. The entity also operates in the UK, Germany, Spain, and Japan.

Meanwhile, data protection agencies in various regions, including France, Germany, and the UK, have begun examinations into the crypto project to ensure no data regulations are violated.