NAIROBI, Kenya — Worldcoin has deleted all biometric data it collected from Kenyans in 2023 following a High Court order, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) has confirmed.
The deletion brings to a close a high-profile case that raised serious concerns about the collection and use of biometric data in Kenya.
The ODPC said the exercise was carried out by Tools For Humanity, the US- and Germany-based technology firm behind the Worldcoin cryptocurrency project, under its supervision.
The move followed a High Court ruling delivered on May 5, 2025, which found that the company had unlawfully collected Kenyans’ biometric information using eyeball-scanning orbs for more than four months.
The court ordered the firm to permanently destroy the data within seven days and directed the data commissioner to oversee the process.
“Regarding the processing of Kenyans’ personal data by Tools For Humanity, we confirm that the Data Controller has deleted all biometric data previously collected from Kenyan citizens,” the ODPC said in a notice shared with the Business Daily.
The data commissioner did not disclose how much data had been collected during the exercise. However, the office said it remains firm on enforcing data protection laws and holding companies accountable.
The ODPC said it is “dedicated to enforcing the law, protecting data subjects, and ensuring that all data controllers and processors are held accountable for any non-compliance.”
Worldcoin began public sign-ups globally on June 24, 2023, with Kenya emerging as one of its most active markets.
The project was pitched as a way to strengthen the cryptocurrency ecosystem by issuing digital identities, known as World IDs, to verify that users are human and reduce fraud and automated spam.
In Kenya, large crowds gathered in Nairobi to scan their iris patterns using a metallic orb. In return, participants received 25 free cryptocurrency tokens, valued at about Sh8,200 at the time.
The government suspended the exercise on August 2, 2023, after concerns were raised about how biometric data was being collected, stored, and secured.
Before the mass rollout, Worldcoin had run pilot programmes in Kenya and several other countries, including Chile, Indonesia, France, and Sudan, since May 2021.
The ODPC said Worldcoin has not resumed any data collection activities in Kenya since the 2023 suspension. This remains the case even after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions ended its investigation into the company in June 2024.
Kenya is not alone in acting against the project. Other countries, including Indonesia, Spain, Hong Kong, and Portugal, have also suspended Worldcoin operations, citing privacy and data protection concerns.
The case has become a landmark moment in Kenya’s data protection regime, reinforcing the role of the courts and the ODPC in regulating emerging technologies and safeguarding personal data rights.
