Worldcoin’s parent company, Tools for Humanity, has deleted all biometric data collected from Kenyan citizens, Kenya’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) has confirmed.
The move follows a government-mandated suspension of the Worldcoin cryptocurrency and data collection project in the country in 2023 after thousands raised doubts on the safety of their identity data collected via an Orb by the firm allied to OpenAI‘s Sam Altman.
In a notice dated Jan. 20, the ODPC said the deletion was verified through a comprehensive compliance audit under the Data Protection Act, 2019.
“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.
Worldcoin faced scrutiny after thousands of Kenyans exchanged iris scans for digital tokens, prompting a multi-agency probe and government intervention.
The regulator said the move sets a precedent for multinational digital firms operating in Kenya and underscores the enforcement of Section 25 of the Data Protection Act on personal data privacy.
Worldcoin has expressed interest in resuming operations under a revised framework, but any future data processing will be subject to strict compliance with Kenyan law, the ODPC added.
Kenya is also preparing tighter rules on cross-border data transfers, expected to be discussed at the Data Privacy Conference 2026 in Mombasa.
