Worldcoin saga shows lack of unified policy

The suspension of Worldcoin operations in the Kenyan market has brought to the fore the lack of a unified approach at high levels of government to inform and guide critical policies that touch on the lives of Kenyans.

On Wednesday Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki suspended the operations of Worldcoin, a few hours after his counterpart in the Ministry of ICT stated that the company was working within the confines of the law.

The Data Protection Act, 2019, makes it illegal for companies to transfer the data of Kenyan users outside the country unless the third party is subject to a law or agreement enforcing data protection.

The Act also mandates private entities to notify the government in any large-scale operation that involves the collection of Kenyans' personal data relating to healthcare, education, financial services and population statistics.

The Office of the Data Protection Commission (ODPC) which is in charge of safeguarding Kenyans' private data from misuse or infringement initially issued a statement giving Worldcoin the go-ahead while telling Kenyans to remain vigilant only to change tune two days later.

The Communications Authority and Capital Markets Authority (CMA) similarly issued statements cautioning Kenyans to avoid giving their personal data to Worldcoin because of security reasons.

All this came days after the company had been in the country for several days and had collected tens of thousands of iris scans, which makes the suspension by the government inconsequential.   

The saga has exposed the unpreparedness of policymakers in government, particularly in the tech sector, where innovation from the private sector moves at a blistering pace and public officials and regulators often find themselves playing catch up.

It is also worth noting that the government and regulators only sprung to action after Kenyans took to social media asking why thousands of their counterparts were lining up to scan their irises.

This reactionary approach to policymaking in a country that prides itself as a beacon of digital innovation for the African region is a disservice to Kenyans.

On its part, Worldcoin has stated that its mission is to create a globally-inclusive, decentralised and privacy-conscious financial network that is owned by the majority. The company says its platform could increase economic opportunity and provide a reliable solution for distinguishing humans from AI online.

These seems like noble ambitions that Kenyans, like their counterparts in other parts of the world, would rightly want to benefit from. However, like with any new technological solution, particularly one that leverages on gathering wide-scale, private bio-metric data, there is a need to proceed with caution to ensure the rights of consumers are not infringed.

This balancing act of promoting innovation while proceeding with caution falls on the shoulders of the government agencies and regulators who translate public policy for the citizenry. It is time the government takes a proactive approach to daily matters that touch on the lives of its citizens, rather than waiting to react from sentiments expressed on social media.