Worldcoin deletes Kenyans’ biometric data after court order
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) has confirmed the complete removal of biometric data collected from Kenyan citizens by Worldcoin’s parent company, Tools for Humanity.
This follows a May 5, 2025, High Court order directing the firm, co-owned by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, to permanently discard all data previously collected from Kenyans.
In a public notice dated January 20, 2026, the ODPC stated that Worldcoin had fully complied with government directives to delete iris scan data, which had prompted the suspension of its operations in Kenya in 2023.
“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 commission said.
The confirmation followed a comprehensive compliance audit conducted to verify adherence to the Data Protection Act, 2019.
Worldcoin had faced scrutiny after thousands of Kenyans exchanged biometric information for digital tokens, triggering a multi-agency government probe.
The ODPC emphasised that the deletion sets an important precedent for multinational digital firms operating in Kenya, reinforcing the application of Section 25 of the Data Protection Act, which governs personal data privacy.
While Worldcoin has expressed interest in resuming operations under a revised framework, the ODPC stressed that any future data processing must meet strict legal compliance requirements.
This development comes as the government prepares to implement tighter regulations on cross-border data handling, which will be a key topic at the Data Privacy Conference 2026 in Mombasa.
The Worldcoin project rolled out globally on June 24, 2023.
But despite its ambitions of a decentralised global currency, the project was met with privacy concerns and questions about the security of the biodata the company was collecting from Kenyans.
The verification process involved scanning eyeballs through an Orb in exchange for a digital identity called World ID.
The concerns were heightened by the fact that new members were getting 25 free cryptocurrency tokens (Sh8,256 at the time) known as WLD after verification.
The government stopped all activities associated with the crypto project until relevant agencies certify the absence of any security risks.
