The Camera Watching You Was Never Meant to Keep You Safe
At least 11 African governments have invested over US$2 billion in Chinese-built AI-powered surveillance infrastructure — cameras, facial recognition, biometric data collection, and automatic number-plate recognition systems marketed as "smart city" solutions [1]. The countries include Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Nigeria alone has spent over US$470 million; Mauritius, US$456 million; Kenya, US$219 million [2]. These are the figures we know. The real totals are almost certainly higher, because surveillance procurement is routinely classified and the report covers only 11 of Africa's 55 nation. #DigitalSurveillance, #FacialRecognition, #HumanRights, #SmartCities, #PrivacyMatters, #MassSurveillance