Why Kenyans are Scanning Their Eyeballs for Sh7,000 Tokens

A new cryptocurrency called Worldcoin has gained popularity in Kenya for awarding free tokens to users who verify their humanity by scanning their eyeballs at specified locations in 35 countries, including Kenya. 

Users can exchange these tokens for other cryptocurrencies on official crypto exchanges and cash them out through liquidity agents or sell them to other users. The first 25 free WLD tokens have a value of about Sh7,786. Many Kenyans have flocked to Quickmart outlets to scan their iris and earn free tokens with some using them to buy and sell other cryptocurrencies for Kenyan shillings.

The eye-scanning machines identified as Kenya’s Orbs are stationed at outlets throughout the country. On Friday at the Quickmart Thome outlet, a group of young people patiently waited for their turn to use the Orbs. Worldcoin, co-founded by Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, aims to give everyone in the world access to the global economy by providing them with a verified digital identity, free cryptocurrency tokens, and a crypto wallet. 

Their goal is to create a digital currency that is more inclusive and accessible to people worldwide regardless of their socio-economic status or access to traditional banking systems. To prove a user’s identity, the Orbs scan their iris to create personal and secure identification codes, known as “World ID,” due to the difficulty in differentiating between real humans and artificial intelligence in online activity.

When users verify their identity with Worldcoin, they may believe they have nothing to lose, but the truth is still unknown to both Worldcoin and its founders. Yesterday, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) warned Kenyans against the trend, urging them not to share sensitive personal data without a proper understanding on the use of the data.