| Become a member or subscribe to receive our monthly newsletter. We share research/stories/podcasts that caught our attention. We are taking a break in August! We will be back in September with news, articles, and reports on surveillance in the Majority World. |
| Reports & Publications |
| New Technologies, Old Injustice Statewatch’s latest report shows how predictive policing tech is embedding racism and deepening injustice across Europe. Drawing from Belgium, France, Germany, and Spain, the report uncovers how algorithmic systems profile racialised communities, influence decisions from surveillance to deportation, and operate behind walls of secrecy. Read the full report Critical Internet Governance: From Positions to a Field A new report from REDE and the Critical Infrastructure Lab explores how to build an internet that serves the public interest, centres marginalised voices, and addresses ecological and geopolitical tensions. The publication emerged from a symposium aimed at shaping a critical internet governance research agenda. Read the full report Surveillance and Security in Ecuador An in-depth analysis from Derechos Digitales of Ecuador’s surveillance policies reveals how government security measures, under the banner of cybersecurity and public safety, are expanding digital surveillance without adequate safeguards. The report highlights the risks of unchecked surveillance infrastructure, emphasising threats to privacy, freedom of expression, and civil rights in Ecuador’s digital space. Read the full report (in Spanish) Surveillance Threats to Civil Society in East & Southern Africa A recent report by Unwanted Witness exposes how spyware and intrusive surveillance technologies are being used to target civil society across Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. Focusing on digital tools like Pegasus, FinFisher, and biometric systems, it highlights how state surveillance is shrinking civic space, enabling repression and putting human rights defenders and journalists at risk. Read the full report Contextual Integrity in Africa’s Plural-Legal Contexts: Fintech, Privacy, and Informational Norms in Ghana This article explores the complexity of data privacy in Africa by applying the concept of contextual integrity to plural-legal settings, using Ghana as a case study. The study challenges stereotypes about African privacy norms and calls for a shift from top-down privacy narratives to bottom-up approaches grounded in cultural, legal, and everyday practices within Africa’s evolving digital environments. Read the article |
| Courses |
| Do No Harm: Ethics for Drone Data Projects This open-access course, developed through the Disastrous Information project (NWO-MWI) and UNICEF’s African Drone & Data Academy, offers practical guidance for ethical drone data use. It’s freely available via Geoversity. A PDF version is also accessible for offline use. Take the course | Download the course booklet |
| News & Commentaries |
| India’s Nutrition Scheme Now Requires Facial Recognition As of June 30, the Indian government has made facial recognition mandatory for pregnant and lactating women to receive food rations under the POSHAN Abhiyaan scheme. The move has sparked widespread concern, with Right to Food campaigners urging its withdrawal. They warn that the system could exclude vulnerable women due to technical failures and poor connectivity, ultimately undermining access to essential nutrition. Read more | Read more Blocking of Major Platforms Amid Protests in Togo Ongoing blocking of Facebook, Telegram, Signal, YouTube and DuckDuckGo in Togo amid nationwide protests, as detected by OONI data. The evidence points to TLS interference on at least three major Internet Service Providers (ISPs), illustrating how states increasingly manipulate internet access to suppress dissent. View charts and analysis Gaza: When AI Machines Decide Who Lives, Human Rights Die Our board member Dima Samaro discusses with Civicus how Israel deploys experimental AI at an unprecedented scale in Gaza, including forced biometric scans, AI-generated kill lists targeting tens of thousands, and explosive robots destroying homes. This tech-driven violence operates with near-total impunity, backed by Israeli and global corporations profiting from militarized AI and weak international laws. Read more |
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