Technology companies cover the surveillance sector in Africa

RABAT – At a security fair in Morocco, technology companies have been forced to convince African officials that their state-of-the-art monitoring tools are the key to stability and development.

The ASEC Expo Rabat, presented by the organizers as the first of its kind on the continent, last week brought together companies from around the world who were looking to conquer new markets in a region marked by rapid urbanization. and economic growth.

And while Europe has imposed restrictions on an industry that suspects a lot of suspicion for civil liberties, African countries with lax legislation are tempting partners.

Chinese communications giant Huawei was present at the event, highlighting the success of the networks already installed in the capitals of Kenya, Cameroon, Mali and Cote d Ivoire.

"When a crime is committed, thanks to the cameras, we work magically," Ghana's Minister of Security Albert Kan-Dapaah said in a promotional clip for the company.

"My command center is the envy of many of my colleagues."

Huawei has already equipped more than 700 cities in 100 countries, including more than 25 in Africa, according to the Xinhua official news agency.

But the firm is in the spotlight over concerns that it could give Beijing a back door in sensitive communications and infrastructure, with the United States and Australia banning its equipment to their future 5G networks.

Barely a dozen companies lead the burgeoning global video surveillance market, a $ 30 billion industry starting in 2017, which, according to research firm Stratistics MRC, will record double-digit growth over the next few years .

A representative of South Korean group Hanwha said the African market was "very strong … because there are plenty of opportunities for us to supply our products".

"We had a lot of sales last year and this year," especially in Egypt and South Africa, said Yoonboom Choi.

European concerns

The new high-tech command centers of "safe cities" are capable of instantly detecting any type of incident, whether it is for everyday crimes or accidents, natural disasters or civil unrest – and trigger quick responses.

With big data and artificial intelligence, the crowds are no longer anonymous.

Facial recognition algorithms coupled with a wealth of readily available online data can identify the identity of anyone going through a surveillance flow.

Vehicles can be identified by their registration number and ultra-sophisticated software can even detect human emotions and predict behavior.

"We can establish the identity of anyone without knowing him – his name and surname, his academic background … his family, what he prefers, where he travels," Huawei's regional representative said. , Chakib Achour.

These datasets are useful for police prosecuting criminals and businesses looking for potential clients, according to their lawyers.

But the risk of mbad surveillance has raised concerns among civil liberties advocates.

Authoritarian regimes in Africa are often accused of violating the right to eliminate the opposition.

In its annual report for 2019, Human Rights Watch singled out Egypt for using anti-terrorism measures and security concerns "as a pretext to crush all forms of dissent."

Fears over surveillance prompted the European Union in 2018 to adopt a new stringent Data Protection General Regulation (GPR).

Europe now has restrictions on "technologies that could be developed in the Middle East or Africa," said Francois Levy, regional director of the Brazilian software company Digifort.

"CITIZEN SECURITY"

Morocco, which organized the exhibition, said that he needed a strong security policy to fight terrorism and that he was showing a keen interest in technologies of great scale.

"Citizen security has always been the central point" of urban planning in Morocco and "underlies the major urban renewal project that we continue to carry out," said Rabat city council head Mohamed Sadiki at from a visit to the exhibition.

Marrakesh is working on an application that would allow citizens and tourists to "make urgent calls" and send advice, brags the head of regional security, Moulay El Hafid Zimirly, in a sponsored clip by Huawei.

In his commercial documents, Huawei openly insists on "the example" given by China, "where all police stations have their own CCTV unit".

The company offers the authorities the opportunity to tap into image archives taken in taxis, airports and stadiums, as well as images taken by ordinary citizens with their mobile phones.

In its global report of 2019, Human Rights Watch explained how the Chinese government at home is increasingly using mbad surveillance to "strengthen the control of society," including through a vast collection of biometric details, including DNA and voice samples.

"All of these systems are deployed without effective protection of privacy in law or practice, and often people are unaware that their data is being collected, or how it is being used or stored," the report says.

For Africa, adoption of the proposed technology would create an important data pool, but also questions.
By 2020, more than one in two of the continent will have a smartphone, according to a 2018 study published by Deloitte.