They invaded the main roads of Uganda and covered the streets of the capital, Kampala. In just a few years, the Ugandan government has installed more than 5,000 cameras. CCTV network, facial recognition, massive data collection… While a growing number of similar initiatives are spreading across the continent, “more and more fears are emerging that these projects that combine Internet surveillance and the collection of exempt mobiles offer governments the means to hunt down criminals but also to spy on political opponents, activists and journalists”, tells the Kenyan daily Nation.
In Uganda, the first cameras were offered by the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei in 2014. Four years later, the authorities signed a $128 million project with the Chinese company. In addition to the cameras, the company is installing thirteen c