The European Union failed to fully consider the potential for surveillance-related human rights violations as it equipped African nations with technologies and surveillance training through its EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTFA). That’s the decision of the EU Commission Ombudsman, following a formal complaint filed by a group of…
The surveillance society in South Sudan is harnessed by the state in service of repression, according to a new report from Amnesty International that focuses on impacts to journalists and opposition groups critical of the government. The report, called “These Walls Have Ears” – The Chilling Effect of Surveillance in…
In recent weeks the controversies surrounding Chinese telecom giant Huawei seem to mount every day. From New Zealand to Japan, and from Europe to the long-suspicious United States, countries balk at the idea of using Huawei equipment in their communications networks. In China and Canada, the arrest of a top…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Ethiopia has continued its targeted malware attacks on activists and dissidents, including the Oromia Media Network (OMN) in the United States, according to a report released Wednesday by Citizen Lab. The digital experts at the lab, based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, analyzed…
Ethiopia will maintain its state of emergency for an additional four months, following a parliamentary vote Thursday that approved the extension. The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) said the measure passed unanimously after Ethiopian Defense Minister Siraj Fegessa made his case for additional time before lawmakers still concerned about unrest in…
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda said Friday that his government plans additional surveillance in cities and along highways, a security plan he said has been postponed in favor of other infrastructure projects. He added that the safety of Ugandans and security of their property would be “guarded at all costs.”…
A report that investigates the role of state-sponsored surveillance in Kenya charges that information gathered by authorities – outside of the procedures required by Kenyan law – is used to facilitate human rights abuses. That’s especially a concern as Kenya moves forward with the country’s 2017 elections, the report by…
The legal appeal of a United States citizen whose communications were monitored by Ethiopian agents from afar moved forward this week, as the Kidane v. Ethiopia case was heard in a U.S. appeals court in Washington D.C. The case centers on whether Ethiopia, as a foreign government, is accountable for…