Smart City Surveillance Expands Across Africa, Raising Human Rights Concerns
By [Your Name], International Editor, nouvelles-du-monde.com
Brighton, UK – A surge in artificial intelligence-powered surveillance technology across Africa is sparking alarm among rights groups, who warn the expansion threatens civil liberties and privacy. A new report from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) details how African governments are investing heavily in “smart city” technologies – including AI-enabled CCTV and sophisticated control centers – with at least $2 billion spent by 11 nations studied.
The rapid rollout of these systems, researchers say, is occurring without the necessary legal safeguards to protect citizens from potential abuses. Concerns are mounting that the increased surveillance capabilities could be used to track and target government critics, political opposition, and independent journalists.
“Our new research shows that the rapid growth of smart city surveillance in Africa is occurring without adequate legal regulation or oversight,” said Dr. Tony Roberts, an independent digital rights researcher and co-author of the report. “Unregulated surveillance creates a chilling effect that inhibits the right to peaceful protest and reduces the freedom to speak truth to power and hold governments to account.”
The IDS report highlights specific examples of these concerns. In Zimbabwe, individuals fear facial recognition technology is being used to identify and target them. In Mozambique, cameras have been strategically placed in areas with high concentrations of political opposition.
Nigeria leads the continent in spending on Chinese-supplied surveillance technology, having invested over $470 million in facial recognition and automatic number plate recognition systems. Mauritius follows with $456 million, and Kenya with $219 million. While other countries, including Korea, Israel, and the USA, also provide surveillance technologies, the vast majority of these systems deployed across Africa originate from Chinese companies.
The report challenges the justification for this widespread surveillance, noting that there is “no compelling evidence” that it has led to a reduction in terrorism or serious crime. Even countries like Zambia and Senegal, which do not face significant terrorist threats, are implementing these systems.
Wairagala Wakabi, Executive Director of CIPESA and co-author of the report, emphasized the invasive nature of the technology. “These so-called ‘smart city’ surveillance products are anything but smart for those at risk of being tracked and targeted by them,” he said. “This large scale and invasive AI-enabled surveillance of public spaces is not ‘legal, necessary or proportionate’ to the legitimate aim of providing security.”
The researchers stress the importance of transparency and accountability in the procurement and use of smart city technology, urging governments to fully assess and publicly share the potential impacts on human rights. The African Digital Rights Network, which authored the report, analyzed data from Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The report’s findings underscore a growing global debate about the balance between security and privacy in the age of increasingly sophisticated surveillance technologies.