NAIROBI, Oct 2 Reuters A Kenyan parliamentary panel called on the country39;s information technology regulator on Monday to shut down the operations of cryptocurrency project Worldcoin within the country until more stringent regulations are put in place.

The government suspended the project in early August following privacy objections over its scanning of users39; irises in exchange for a digital ID to create a new identity and financial network.

Worldcoin was rolled out in various countries around the world by Tools for Humanity, a company cofounded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. It has also come under scrutiny in Britain, Germany and France.

The project still has a virtual presence in Kenya and can be accessed via the Internet, even after the August suspension.

The regulatory Communications Authority of Kenya should disable the virtual platforms of Tools for Humanity Corp and Tools for Humanity GmbH Germany Worldcoin including blacklisting the IP addresses of related websites, the ad hoc panel of 18 lawmakers said in a report.

It also called for the suspension of the companies39; physical presence in Kenya until there is a legal framework for regulation of virtual assets and virtual services providers.

Worldcoin39;s press office said it had not seen anything official announced by the Committee directly.

The panel39;s report will be tabled at the National Assembly for consideration and adoption at a later date.

During the suspension of data collection in August,…