Concerned Kenyan authorities have suspended the cryptocurrency Worldcoin, citing digital identity concerns.

The organisation, officially launched by project owner and CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman in late in July 2023, uses an individual’s biometric data to confirm identity.

An ‘Orb’ retinal scanner (worth USD $5,000) maps a person’s eye recording their unique iris.

This, Forbes explained, gives users a ‘one-of-a-kind’ global ‘digital identity to verify whether they are a real human or a bot’.

At the heart of the Worldcoin project is an eye-scanning ‘orb’, which must be used in-person and gives users a unique digital identity to verify they are a real human and not a bot. A cryptocurrency — which can be used once a user has verified their identity and is also named Worldcoin — and an app that allows users to make payments, purchase and transfers with it, as well as other digital assets, are also key parts of the project.

In a Twitter thread commenting on Worldcoin’s launch, Altman said, ‘The goal is simple: a global financial and identity network based on proof of personhood; especially important in the AI era.’

(An era that Altman, as head of ChatGPT, is helping to usher into existence.)

Worldcoin also has its eyes set on being the foundation for a ‘universal basic income (UBI)’ in what Coindesk described as an ‘ominous big brother’ scheme.

The crypto economics version of The Financial Times also has serious reservations.

Worldcoin’s eerie dystopian leanings outweighs its promised altruism, Coindesk noted in 2021.

‘Users who want a Worldcoin account will have to have their eyes scanned.’

‘It is spectacularly, and inherently risky,’ contributor, David Morris asserted.

‘Frankly, there’s a strong argument that it should be illegal for a private company to gather this kind of biometric data about everyone on Earth, [at least] until we have better data regulations in place.’

Aside from the stupidity of calling the scanner an ‘Orb’ with connotations of Lord of the Rings’ Eye of Sauron, the whole thing is ‘creepy as hell’, he added.

Regardless of Altman’s promised privacy safety measures, Morris argued Worldcoin is asking people to trust them with deeply intimidate information, which, once compromised, can never be redeemed.

Yahoo observers, initially giddy at the prospect of checking out the tech, ended up terming the whole process of ‘Getting Orbed’ as a ‘numb walk to a totalitarian end’.

Edward Snowden was just as pessimistic.

He essentially declared ‘cataloguing eyeballs’ as a bridge too far.

‘Don’t use biometrics for anything. The human body is not a ticket-punch.’

The data is never truly deleted, he continued.

It’s still stored somewhere because Worldcoin: ‘Saves the *hashes* [unique encrypted data] produced by the scans to match *future* scans.’

Hence Kenya’s skittish back-flip.

They’ve suspended Worldcoin in an attempt to protect Kenyans, and learn more about Altman’s ultimate agenda.

In an official statement, Kithure Kindiki, Secretary of the Interior and National Administration, said:

‘Relevant security, financial services, and data protection agencies have commenced inquiries and investigations’ into Worldcoin’s presence in Kenya. Through this, Kindiki hopes, ‘to establish the authenticity and legality of their activities, the safety and protection of the data being harvested, and how the harvesters intend to use the data’.

Let us all support the stoppage of Kenyans being used as Guinea Pigs & their data being harvested. Being paid is important but you have to ask yourself why your eyes are being scanned and information gathered. What does it mean and what will it mean to you and your offsprings? pic.twitter.com/x1KbclG2BC

— Dr. Alfred N. Mutua (@DrAlfredMutua) August 2, 2023

MPs such as Kimani Ichung’wah, may have helped push for Worldcoin’s suspension, are demanding answers.

Speaking to the Kenyan Parliament, Ichung’wah sought clarification over conflicting statements, saying:

‘[The suspension is] a little too late. This concerns many people. It was being done on government premises. Worldcoin must have paid somebody to use the facilities.’

The question is, ‘Who let them do it?’

‘In the age of artificial intelligence, it’s possible that Kenyans will be banned from walking through some places,’ Ichung’wah warned.

‘Let’s say you’re going to walk into a bank, and your iris has been used for committing crimes, without you knowing. Then you’re denied access.’

Or… ‘The next time you want to travel, you may find your passport, even image, and identity has been used wrongly?’

Slamming Worldcoin’s offer of FREE ‘premined’ crypto coins in exchange for Kenyan’s giving over their biometric data, Ichung’wah said:

‘In this day and age of terrorism, Kenyans need to be cautious. Not everything that glitters is gold!’

Easy money ‘may be very enticing, but may be very dangerous for you’.

He then asked why the company was banned from collecting this data in the America, but was allowed to do so in Kenya.

‘What does the United States know about him that we don’t?’

Kenya’s Foreign Affairs secretary was just as direct.

CS Alfred Mutua, stated on Twitter:

‘Being paid is important but you have to ask yourself why your eyes are being scanned and information gathered. What does it mean and what will it mean to you and your children?

‘Let us all support the stoppage of Kenyans being used as Guinea Pigs and their data being harvested.’

Altman has said he’s perplexed by the opposition, saying he ‘underestimated the visceral reaction to using biometrics for identity verification’.

This is somewhat understandable.

I can see the benefit of unique identifier’s being a way to counter ‘deep fake fraud’.

However, as Coindesk quipped, where’s Altman been for the past 3 years?

New authoritarians have awakened a free citizenry to the dangers of being made subjects of the mass surveillance state.

Lockdown lovers and health passport enthusiasts may endorse the tech, for the rest of us, Worldcoin’s data collection and retention devices are sketchy as heck and an unwelcome reminder of Covid surveillance.

Magnifying those concerns, Altman’s offer to allow governments to get in bed with ‘getting orbed’ did not go down particularly well. This comes with concerns about the weaponisation of biometric data by State entities.

In this context, Worldcoin, if it falls into the wrong hands, may end up making the problem of deep-fake crime worse rather than preventing it.

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