‘Invasive’ AI-led mass surveillance in Africa violating freedoms, warn experts

Street protests last year in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Unlawful tech-facilitated surveillance systems were used to crack down on the gen Z-led protests there. Photograph: D Odhiambo/Getty

The rapid expansion of AI-powered mass-surveillance systems across Africa is violating citizens’ right to privacy and having a chilling effect on society, according to experts on human rights and emerging technologies.

At least $2bn (£1.5bn) has been spent by 11 African governments on Chinese-built surveillance technology that recognises faces and monitors movements, according to a new report by the Institute of Development Studies, which warns that national security is being used to justify implementing these systems with little regulation.