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| We were at Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum 2025, Lusaka, Zambia! |
| (Read the full report) Surveillance in the Majority Network attended #DRIF25 to initiate the African Surveillance Studies Network (join here!). We met a lot of inspiring activists, researchers, and practitioners and facilitated an exchange of experiences in a panel on researching surveillance in Africa. Our panel, organised by our board members Azadeh Akbari and Jimmy Kainja, featured the voices of prominent surveillance researchers in Africa, including: – Jane Duncan: Professor of Digital Society at the University of Glasgow and Director of Intelwatch – Juliet N. Nanfuka: Research and Communications Officer, The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) – Admire Mare: NRF-Rated Full Professor and Head of Department of Communication and Media Studies, University of Johannesburg – Tony Roberts: Digital Cluster Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and board member of African Digital Rights Network – ‘Gbenga Sesan: Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative |
| Altman’s Worldcoin Ordered to Delete Biometric Data in Kenya Over Privacy Breach |
| The High Court of Kenya officially ruled that Worldcoin’s collection and processing of biometric data in the country was unconstitutional. The court cited I) failure to conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), II) failure to register as data processors, III) improper, induced consent from users, as grounds for its verdict. Read More |
| Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D): A Contested Notion [Research Article] |
| This article explores competing visions of AI’s role in global development. It categorizes frameworks ranging from technoliberal progress to decolonial critique, highlighting how debates around AI4D—especially in African contexts—balance hopes of economic growth with risks of reinforcing colonial dynamics. Read the article |
| Uninvited Protagonists: The Networked Agency of Venezuelan Platform Data Workers [Research Article] |
| Using a mixed-method approach that combines survey data and in-depth interviews, this article explores the emergence of labour agency among Spanish-speaking data workers in Latin America, with a focus on crisis-stricken Venezuela. Results show that data workers actively develop practices of resilience, reworking, and, to a lesser extent, resistance with support from different segments of their personal networks. Read more |
| ID System Challenges for Refugees in Kenya [Research Report] |
| This report critiques Kenya’s digital ID systems and the barriers they pose for refugees and migrants. Through stakeholder interviews, it reveals how bureaucratic obstacles limit access to rights and services, and calls for more inclusive ID reforms to support social and economic integration. Read the report |
| South to South AI Accountability CoLab [Civil Society Program] |
| The Pulitzer Center’s CoLab initiative is building AI governance collaborations across the Global South. Through grants and peer learning, the program supports civil society and academic groups addressing AI bias and inequality in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Activities include research, advocacy, and cross-regional knowledge exchange. Learn more / Engage |
| Why Latin America Is Unlikely to Mirror EU AI Regulation [News Analysis] |
| At the 2025 IAPP Summit, experts noted that Latin America is unlikely to adopt EU-style AI laws due to institutional trust issues and uneven regulatory capacity. Instead, panellists emphasized the need for localized, risk-based approaches. Cases from Peru and Brazil illustrate the region’s fragmented yet evolving landscape. Full article |
| US Issues Warning Over Zambia’s Cybersecurity Law [Policy Alert] |
| The U.S. Embassy in Zambia has raised concerns over the country’s new cybersecurity law, which permits the interception and monitoring of all electronic communications. While the Zambian government argues the law targets cybercrime and disinformation, critics warn it threatens privacy and could suppress dissent. Some call the move hypocritical, citing past opposition to similar measures. Read more |
| Biometric Data in Gaza: Coercive Conditions for Aid Access [Advocacy Statement] |
| Skyline for Human Rights has issued a statement condemning the use of biometric technologies—such as facial recognition and iris scans—as conditions for food and aid distribution in Gaza. The group warns that forcing Palestinians to surrender sensitive biometric data in exchange for aid amounts to coercive surveillance under humanitarian cover. The statement highlights concerns over consent, data security, and the erosion of rights amid a deepening humanitarian crisis. Read the statement |
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