Founders of the controversial Worldcoin proposed that the government should adopt a similar iris-based verification mechanism in the smart ID rollout as is used in relation to World ID.
Tools for Humanity CEO Alex Blania was speaking when he appeared before a parliamentary Ad hoc committee
"We understand that these Smart ID cards are expected to incorporate and require retention of greater amounts of sensitive biometric information (iris, face, and fingerprint templates) than the Orb-based verification approach used in relation to World ID," he observed.
The collection of biometric data for identification and verification purposes, he argued, is widely adopted by the private and public sectors.
“Many companies (such as at airport check-ins) employ biometric-based technology for accessing products and services,” he added.
Blania said they developed Worldcoin four years ago with the main challenge being the “Proof of Personhood” to digitally verify that someone is a genuine, unique human, rather than a bot or a program.
He said after exploring various technologies, suitable for billions of people, regardless of their background or location, "we discovered that biometrics were the most scalable and fraud-resistant approach that also preserved privacy".
Diverting on the worldcoin activities in Kenya, Blania admitted it did not obtain the necessary approvals from the Business Registration Services (BRS) as required.
"Tools for Humanity is not registered with the registrar of companies...maybe this was due to lack of clarity on definition of business because we are not doing business," Blania said.
He, however, maintained that the Company did not violate any provisions of the Kenyan data privacy legislation despite submitting its application as a foreign entity without local presence in Kenya.
"We pray that this Committee makes a finding that the Company did not engage in any wrongdoing and that a mutually beneficial settlement or decision can be reached for all stakeholders involved," he remarked.
He told the MPs that for over 18 months, they were in liaison with the office of the Data Commissioner in seeking to acquire an operating license.
"During the period we engaged the office to ensure that our technology and processes meet Kenya’s high standards for data protection," he explained.
Asked why Kenya was identified for Worldcoin activities, the Company's head of legal Thomas Scott noted the technological advancement, internet connectivity, adoption of mobile money and ownership of mobile phones.
"Based on these factors, as well as its digital leadership, Kenya was an exceedingly good fit," Scott stated.
The MPs heard that data mining has been happening since April 2022.
During the period, students who were the targeted lot were asked to submit their data filling consent forms.
The collection of data was decentralised to 21 specific locations in Nairobi which included malls, stalls and learning institutions across Nairobi.
"Beta operations went smoothly and hundreds of thousands of Kenyans were able to acquire World IDs and claim their share of Worldcoin, which remained untraded on global exchanges," Blania said.
"Worldcoin protocol went 'live' on July 24, meaning the token became available on global exchanges and the public was excited to participate in the project by claiming their share," he added.
Scott was also quick to clarify that they are not mining data from Kenyans for any malicious activity.
"For the avoidance of doubt, Worldcoin does not and never will involve the collection or selling of data. No one- not even Tools for Humanity-can link biometric data to World ID," he said.