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Authorities have dispersed thousands of Kenyans who had lined up at the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC) to register for the Worldcoin cryptocurrency project.
Officials cited security concerns as the reason for stopping the exercise that has been going on for a few days.
With the current high cost of living, lack of jobs, and stagnated salaries, Kenyans are jumping on the opportunity of earning free money which has been provided by the newest global fever, Worldcoin.
As early as 5 am on Tuesday, long queues of Kenyans waiting to register for Worldcoin were observed. The registration is by scanning eyeballs and getting the free tokens which are then converted into money.
Worldcoin was launched on June 24, and every registered member was gifted 25 tokens, also known as WLD.
WLD can be monetized only when converted to USDT, another cryptocurrency, which is sold in Kenyan shillings.
Whoever scans their iris using a unique eye-scanning machine known as Orb gets the tokens which are an equivalent of $54 or Sh7,700.
For two weeks now, KICC has hosted crowds of people willing to join the digitized human economy.
The Orbs are also available at different other stations including some Quickmart outlets.
By scanning the eyeball, a personal identification code also known as World ID is created and saved on a decentralized blockchain.
A blockchain is an unchangeable ledger that aids in the process of recording transactions and tracking assets in a network.
Worldcoin was founded by Sam Altman, the Chief Executive Officer ChatGPT, Alex Blania, and Max Novendstern.
According to the founders, the cryptocurrency agency is aimed at creating a digital human identity that will ensure that online activities are done by humans and not Artificial Intelligence.
The Kenyan government through the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) has warned citizens against registering for the app saying that Kenyans should have knowledge of how their data will be used.
"The ODPC is aware that Worldcoin has now been launched and is processing sensitive personal data in a manner that requires a demonstration of proper safeguards under the Data Protection Act, 2019. As the ODPC conducts its assessment, Kenyans are urged to ensure that they receive proper information before disclosing any personal or sensitive data," the Commission said.
Orb verifications are not only happening in Kenya but also in other 33 countries with a total of 120 countries already having verified World ID users.
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