Kenya’s Data Purge Order Sends Shockwaves Through Global Tech—Privacy or Power Play?

Nairobi drops a digital nuke: Government mandates immediate deletion of sensitive user data across all platforms. No grace period, no exceptions—just a 72-hour compliance window that’s got Big Tech scrambling.

Behind the firewall: Critics call it a ’sovereign data grab’ disguised as consumer protection, while cloud providers face existential whiplash. Meanwhile, Kenyan startups are caught in the crossfire—forced to choose between compliance or getting erased themselves.

The cynical kicker? Silicon Valley VCs are already pricing in the regulatory arbitrage opportunities—because nothing fuels ’disruption’ like a good old-fashioned data apocalypse.

• Kenya’s High Court has ordered the Worldcoin project to delete all biometric data collected within seven days.
• The court found that World gathered personal data without approval from the Data Protection Commissioner’s office.
• It ruled that offering cryptocurrency in exchange for biometric data invalidated user consent.

The High Court of Kenya ordered Sam Altman‘s World project to remove all Biometric data obtained in the nation. The controversial data collection practices received a court decision that declared them illegal since authorities had not met proper consent and procedural requirements. The national data protection authority requires the data erasure process to finish within seven business days.

Court Blocks World From Using Biometric Data

The court determined World, along with its agents, performed unauthorized collection of biometric data without Data Protection Commissioner’s office consent. The authorities declared the collected consent invalid since its basis involved offering cryptocurrency rewards. Under this decision, the court stated that financial benefits eliminate legal consent and free choice.

Iris-scanning technology operated as a data collection system that granted digital identification credentials against native token giveaways. The court determined that World did not comply with Kenyan data protection rules because it neglected to conduct privacy assessment evaluations. This court decision represents a strong decision from judges who support enforcing rights related to constitutional data protection.

The Katiba Institute presented to the court its case against the project because it failed to take proper legal steps and violated individuals’ privacy rights. The court accepted this legal position, resulting in an order to eliminate all gathered data immediately. World cannot continue processing personal data because the court placed a restriction that requires full compliance with legal data handling rules.

JUDGMENT: High Court safeguards the right to privacy

Today, Lady Justice Aburili Roselyne has allowed our Judicial Review Application, where we challenged the collection, processing, and transfer of iris and facial images (biometric data)using the World Coin App and the Orb… https://t.co/7SisPV7ZCd

Kenya Reinstates Limits on Crypto Project

The High Court required World to begin deleting data within the judgment date and continue until one week after the execution date. All data removal procedures should be executed under the supervision of the Data Protection Commissioner’s office. The court established regulations that bar World from acquiring new biometric information within Kenya unless the firm acquires necessary permissions.

The legal judgment emerged because people nationwide started focusing more on the project’s operations. Following the lifting of the World ban in June 2024, the judicial system restricted its operations again. The court ruling installed new entry limitations that block the World from trying to access the Kenyan digital market a second time.

The courts thoroughly analyzed the company’s statements regarding secure digital IDs and privacy. The unclear policies about secure data operations led some Kenyan officials to restrict text message-based voter registration. Kenya intends to implement its Data Protection Act with increasing strictness from 2019 onwards.

Nations Challenge Biometric Data Collection Practices

Multiple nations have initiated several investigations, which led to a rising number of regulatory actions affecting World operations across different nations. The Indonesian authorities halted the project because it ran without proper registration and broke local data regulations. World encountered legal initiatives in Hong Kong, Germany, and Brazil because of their data security concerns.

The growing awareness worldwide about privacy dangers in biometric projects leads to rising regulatory actions against the World. World receives guidance from qualified professionals to inspect its consent systems and compliance frameworks. Several countries need documented explanations before they approve collecting biometric data for digital identity and crypto service implementation.

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