Africa pours $2B into controversial Chinese surveillance tech
4 hours ago
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- #digital-rights
- #china-africa
- African countries have spent over $2 billion on AI-powered surveillance systems, largely funded and supplied by China with conditions attached to loans.
- Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE built about 70% of Africa's 4G infrastructure, enabling widespread surveillance tech deployment.
- Nigeria leads with $470 million in surveillance investments and the most smart cameras among the studied countries.
- There is a lack of legal regulation and oversight, risking privacy rights and enabling misuse against activists and dissenters.
- Instances of misuse include tracking Tibetans in Nepal, empowering authoritarian governments in Ecuador and Argentina, and monitoring protests in Uganda and Kenya.
- The study calls for dedicated laws, court warrants for surveillance, and independent oversight bodies to protect citizens from abuse.