BARD AI
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- Jul 24, 2018
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Ripoti ya African Digital Rights Network (ADRN) inayohusu Nchi zinazotumia Teknolojia ya Ufuatiliaji wa Watu Barani Afrika, imeitaja Serikali ya Nigeria kuongoza katika matumizi ya Fedha zaidi (Zaidi ya Tsh. Trilioni 6.77 ndani ya miaka 10) katika uwekaji wa Mifumo hiyo.
Mifumo inahusisha Serikali kuingilia kinyume cha Sheria Mawasiliano ya Simu, Intaneti, Mitandao ya Kijamii, Kamera za Siri za Ufuatiliaji kwenye Miji (Safe City Surveillance) na Matumizi ya Utambuzi wa Alama za Vidole baada ya Wananchi kufanya usajili.
China inaongoza kutumika katika usambazaji wa Mifumo ya Ufuatiliaji wa Mizunguko ya Watu na Magari na Utambuzi wa Sura. Marekani na Uingereza zilisambaza mifumo ya Kufuatilia Mitandao ya Kijamii na Masuala ya Kisiasa.
Ujerumani, Italia, Urusi na Israel ndio wasambazaji wa Mifumo ya Kuingilia Mawasiliano ya Simu (Hacking), Ufuatiliaji wa Eneo alipo Mtumiaji wa Simu (MSI Catchers), Kuchukua Taarifa za Mazungumzo na Jumbe za Watumiaji.
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African governments are collectively spending as much as a US$1bn per year on surveillance technologies. There is copious evidence that states in Africa are using surveillance technologies in ways that are unlawful and/or violate the fundamental human rights of citizens.
Nigeria is Africa’s largest customer, spending at least US$2.7bn on surveillance technologies in the last decade. The technology has been used to spy on peaceful activists, opposition politicians, and journalists. Nigeria spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually; the total of known contracts 2013–22 exceeded US$2.7bn.
Nigeria, Ghana, and Zambia have each spent over US$350m on ‘safe cities’ mass surveillance programmes from China. Malawi is alone of the five countries studied in having not implemented the ‘safe city’ surveillance model.
This is the most comprehensive documentation of suppliers of surveillance technology to Africa. The five country reports represent the most complete record to date of which companies from which countries are supplying which surveillance technologies to the governments.
Surveillance technologies are supplied by companies predominantly
from the USA, China, Europe, and Israel. This commercial trade facilitates the violation of citizens’ rights to privacy and anonymity, and freedom of expression and association. Supplier companies regularly claim that they only supply governments, or that any illegal surveillance constitutes a breach of their terms of service. European companies are supposed to conduct human rights assessments prior to supply. However, none of these voluntary self-policing measures have prevented the rapid expansion of surveillance that violates fundamental human rights.
Different countries dominate different surveillance technology market segments. The USA and Europe are losing their historical domination of the market to provide technologies of phone and internet surveillance to Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE. In Africa, China dominates the provision of public space surveillance in the form of ‘safe city’ street surveillance with facial recognition and car number plate recognition based on artificial intelligence (AI). The USA/UK dominate in the provision of social media surveillance and ‘political marketing’ consultancy to manipulate voter beliefs and behaviour. Germany, Italy, and Israel are the major exporters of mobile phone hacking malware.1 Britain exports fake cell towers (IMSI catchers)2 to spy on mobile calls and messaging. Russia is a minor supplier with negligible influence.
African governments differ in their surveillance profiles. Nigeria permits far more government agencies to conduct surveillance than anywhere else and is a leading customer for the five categories of surveillance technology covered in this report. Ghana appears to have focused on mobile spyware and ‘safe city’ surveillance. Morocco has been an avid consumer of internet and mobile phone intercept technologies and has the unique distinction of having conducted mobile surveillance of its own king. Zambia’s huge investment in a Chinese ‘safe city’ surveillance system is a massive upgrade of its surveillance capabilities. Malawi’s investment in surveillance systems is modest compared to other countries studied.
The human rights toll from the trade in digital surveillance technologies to Africa is high. Overall, the use of these technologies exerts a ‘chilling effect’ on citizens, stifling debate and democracy. Individuals often suffer long-term physical and psychological harm as a result of being targeted. Each country report provides examples of real-life ‘surveillance stories’ which illustrate the human cost of the supply of digital surveillance technologies to Africa.
Urgent action is needed to cut off the supply and demand for mass surveillance technologies.
Supply-side action: Abolish surveillance exports
• The suppliers, customers, and users of surveillance technology must be
monitored and documented.
• Those supplying surveillance technology to human rights abusers
should be sanctioned.
• Any export of surveillance technology should require a government
export licence.
• All surveillance technology export licences should require an
independent human rights assessment.
• Accountability should be enabled through real-time transparency reporting by the export authority
Staff of companies breaching regulations should be suspended from
working anywhere in the sector.
Demand-side action: Defund mass surveillance
• Public awareness should be raised about the constitutional right to
privacy of communication.
• Public awareness should be raised about state violation of the rights of
law-abiding citizens.
• Greater civil society capacity is needed to influence the reform of
surveillance law and practice.
• Campaigns are needed to defund surveillance and redirect resources
to education and health.
• Strategic legislation is needed to petition constitutional courts to
defend/expand citizen rights.
Table 1.1 A visual summary of surveillance technology acquisitions in each country studied
This table is derived from the more comprehensive country reports included in this publication, which contain sections addressing acquisitions of each category of surveillance technology.
