Surveillance technology in Africa is increasingly being shaped by China.
Eleven African countries have collectively spent over $2 billion on artificial intelligence-powered surveillance systems, according to a new study by the U.K.-based Institute of Development Studies and the African Digital Rights Network. Several components of these surveillance tools have been purchased from China, and private Chinese banks have provided the funds needed to build and maintain this infrastructure, the study said.
“These huge loans are conditional on the purchase of Chinese technology and services needed to build and transfer the ‘safe city’ systems,” wrote Wairagala Wakabi and Tony Roberts, the authors of the study.
The investments have been made even as most African countries lack adequate legal regulation or oversight. In the absence of terrorist threats or crimes, such mass surveillance compromises citizens’ right to privacy, experts say.
The surveillance bond between Africa and China runs deeper than the former purchasing tools for facial recognition or automated license plate tracking from the latter. Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE have built around 70% of Africa’s 4G infrastructure, which is essential for the effective use of surveillance devices.
At $470 million, Nigeria has spent the most on surveillance tech, the study said. It also has the largest network of smart cameras installed among the 11 countries in the study.
More than 60 countries worldwide use Chinese AI surveillance tech. Experts have expressed concerns about the unbridled use of such tools, which can lead to crackdowns on dissenters like activists and journalists.
There have been several examples of the misuse of surveillance tech reported in the past. For instance, Tibetans are being tracked in Nepal, while in Ecuador and Argentina, there are concerns about the tech empowering authoritarian governments. Facial recognition has reportedly been used to monitor activists in Uganda as well as the Gen Z-led protests in Kenya.
All 11 countries in the Africa study “currently fail to provide adequate mechanisms for citizens to obtain remedy or redress in case of smart surveillance errors or abuse,” Wakabi and Roberts wrote.
The researchers said these governments need to set up a dedicated law on smart surveillance of public space, which defines and limits which actors are allowed to conduct public space surveillance, limits surveillance to instances warranted by the court, and establishes an oversight body independent of the government, police, and judiciary.
