"This large-scale and invasive AI-enabled surveillance of public spaces is not legal, necessary or proportionate to the legitimate aim of providing security. History shows us that this is the latest tool used by governments to invade the privacy of citizens and stifle freedom of movement and expression."
"Chinese companies often sell the technology in packages that include CCTV systems, facial recognition, biometric data collection and cameras that track vehicle movements and are presented as a tool to help rapidly urbanising countries modernise their cities and reduce crime."
"Researchers from the African Digital Rights Network warned that they allow governments to monitor human rights activists and political opponents, arrest protesters and lead journalists to self-censor, with no real evidence of these systems reducing crime."
At least $2bn has been invested by 11 African governments in Chinese-built surveillance systems featuring facial recognition, biometric data collection, and vehicle tracking. These technologies are marketed as tools for modernizing cities and reducing crime, but researchers find no evidence supporting crime reduction claims. Instead, the systems enable governments to monitor activists, suppress political opposition, arrest protesters, and pressure journalists into self-censorship. National security justifications allow implementation with minimal regulation. Nigeria leads spending at $470m for 10,000 cameras, followed by Egypt with 6,000 and Algeria and Uganda with 5,000 each. Experts argue these invasive systems violate privacy rights and fundamental freedoms without proportionate justification.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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