China Outside China
A new study shows Chinese firms and banks are behind much of the continent’s AI-powered monitoring infrastructure.
Surveillance technology in Africa is increasingly being shaped by China.
Eleven African countries have collectively spent over $2 billion on artificial intelligence-powered surveillance systems, according to a new study by the U.K.-based Institute of Development Studies and the African Digital Rights Network. Several components of these surveillance tools have been purchased from China, and private Chinese banks have provided the funds needed to build and maintain this infrastructure, the study said.
“These huge loans are conditional on the purchase of Chinese technology and services needed to build and transfer the ‘safe city’ systems,” wrote Wairagala Wakabi and Tony Roberts, the authors of the study.
