Huawei infiltration in Uganda
Unwanted Witness, our partner organisation based in Uganda, explore critical questions Huawei's surveillance dealings with the Ugandan government raise. While Huawei's relationship with the government raises concerns for human rights, many of these concerns remain unaddressed.
Key findings
📝The Uganda government has a contract with Huawei to supply and install surveillance equipment in cities throughout Uganda
📝 Details about the contract remain sectret - and it's not clear whether the procurement was legal or how much Huawei will get out of the project
📝 There could be significant human rights immplications to the project, Huawei technicians have, reportedly, already helped security personal spy on political opponents
📝 Police plan on integrating these systems with other key agencies, including the revenue office, identification authority, and immigration office
https://privacyinternational.org/case-study/3969/huawei-infiltration-uganda
Related post
#africa #uganda #huawei #china #surveillance
Unwanted Witness, our partner organisation based in Uganda, explore critical questions Huawei's surveillance dealings with the Ugandan government raise. While Huawei's relationship with the government raises concerns for human rights, many of these concerns remain unaddressed.
Key findings
📝The Uganda government has a contract with Huawei to supply and install surveillance equipment in cities throughout Uganda
📝 Details about the contract remain sectret - and it's not clear whether the procurement was legal or how much Huawei will get out of the project
📝 There could be significant human rights immplications to the project, Huawei technicians have, reportedly, already helped security personal spy on political opponents
📝 Police plan on integrating these systems with other key agencies, including the revenue office, identification authority, and immigration office
https://privacyinternational.org/case-study/3969/huawei-infiltration-uganda
Related post
#africa #uganda #huawei #china #surveillance
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NoGooLag
Uganda’s uptake of Huawei’s “Safe Cities” surveillance initiative is getting a foothold
Huawei has just leveled up its spying efforts. Why spy on people directly, when they can provide a service that lets authoritarian governments spy on people? Either way…
Huawei has just leveled up its spying efforts. Why spy on people directly, when they can provide a service that lets authoritarian governments spy on people? Either way…
Digital ID, Bill Gates vaccine record, and payments system combo to be trialed in Africa
A potential to raise eyebrows for privacy and civil liberty concerns.
Africa is now becoming the testing ground for a biometric digital identity platform developed in a partnership between Mastercard, Trust Stamp, and Bill Gates’ GAVI Vaccine Alliance. While Trust Stamp provides identification authentication through AI, GAVI is an international organization created by tech mogul Bill Gates for supposedly helping underprivileged children access new as well as “under-used” vaccines.
The digital identity platform was first launched in 2018 and is now going to be implemented in the “remote” and “low-income” communities in West Africa. GAVI and Mastercard have created a digital vaccination record known as “Wellness Pass”. Now the platform will be integrated with this Wellness Pass.
https://reclaimthenet.org/gates-digital-id-vaccine-record-and-payments-system-tested-in-africa/
'We are not guinea pigs,' say South African anti-vaccine protesters
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-safrica-vaccine/we-are-not-guinea-pigs-say-south-african-anti-vaccine-protesters-idUSKBN2426RY
Protest Against Africa’s First Covid Vaccine Test Underscores Fears
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-01/protest-vs-africa-s-1st-covid-19-vaccine-trial-shows-fears
First African trial of a COVID-19 vaccine
https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/first-african-trial-covid-19-vaccine
#africa #covid19 #vaccine #biometrics #digitalID
A potential to raise eyebrows for privacy and civil liberty concerns.
Africa is now becoming the testing ground for a biometric digital identity platform developed in a partnership between Mastercard, Trust Stamp, and Bill Gates’ GAVI Vaccine Alliance. While Trust Stamp provides identification authentication through AI, GAVI is an international organization created by tech mogul Bill Gates for supposedly helping underprivileged children access new as well as “under-used” vaccines.
The digital identity platform was first launched in 2018 and is now going to be implemented in the “remote” and “low-income” communities in West Africa. GAVI and Mastercard have created a digital vaccination record known as “Wellness Pass”. Now the platform will be integrated with this Wellness Pass.
https://reclaimthenet.org/gates-digital-id-vaccine-record-and-payments-system-tested-in-africa/
'We are not guinea pigs,' say South African anti-vaccine protesters
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-safrica-vaccine/we-are-not-guinea-pigs-say-south-african-anti-vaccine-protesters-idUSKBN2426RY
Protest Against Africa’s First Covid Vaccine Test Underscores Fears
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-01/protest-vs-africa-s-1st-covid-19-vaccine-trial-shows-fears
First African trial of a COVID-19 vaccine
https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/first-african-trial-covid-19-vaccine
#africa #covid19 #vaccine #biometrics #digitalID
Reclaim The Net
Digital ID, Bill Gates vaccine record, and payments system combo to be trialed in Africa
A potential to raise eyebrows for privacy and civil liberty concerns.
Vodacom partners with China's Alipay to create 'super app' in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Vodacom Group (VODJ.J) plans to create a ‘super app’ in partnership with digital payment provider Alipay, part of China’s Alibaba group (BABA.N), to allow consumers in South Africa to shop online, pay bills and send money to family from next year.
The app will also help small to medium enterprises (SME) access financial services such as lending and insurance, the two companies said in a joint statement on Monday.
Vodacom and other mobile operators in South Africa are seeking to expand their mobile payment apps into online market places to leverage their network and customer base.
They are also looking to tap more than 11 million South Africans who do not have bank accounts, to offer lending and other financial services.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vodacom-grp-alipay-safrica/vodacom-partners-with-chinas-alipay-to-create-super-app-in-south-africa-idUSKCN24L1LY
#africa #southafrica #vodafone #alipay
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Vodacom Group (VODJ.J) plans to create a ‘super app’ in partnership with digital payment provider Alipay, part of China’s Alibaba group (BABA.N), to allow consumers in South Africa to shop online, pay bills and send money to family from next year.
The app will also help small to medium enterprises (SME) access financial services such as lending and insurance, the two companies said in a joint statement on Monday.
Vodacom and other mobile operators in South Africa are seeking to expand their mobile payment apps into online market places to leverage their network and customer base.
They are also looking to tap more than 11 million South Africans who do not have bank accounts, to offer lending and other financial services.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vodacom-grp-alipay-safrica/vodacom-partners-with-chinas-alipay-to-create-super-app-in-south-africa-idUSKCN24L1LY
#africa #southafrica #vodafone #alipay
The internet is back on in Ethiopia but there’s every chance it’ll be off again soon
If you type “Is the internet back on in…” into Google the likely first suggested word is “Ethiopia”. It perhaps reflects the frequency with which internet shutdowns have been selectively applied over the last few years in the Africa’s second-largest country by population.
Ethiopia resumed full internet connection on Thursday morning (July 23) after a 23-day hiatus. Full internet means ordinary Ethiopians can now access the internet again, last week partial internet was restored in Addis Ababa to fixed line connections but not mobile phones. But even during the three-week shutdown the internet had stayed on in key locations in Addis Ababa, often described as Africa’s diplomatic capital. Institutions like the African Union, United Nations agencies, international hotels, big businesses and government offices were able to stay connected for the most part.
The shutdown followed last month’s killing of Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa and the subsequent protests his fellow Oromos which have so far resulted in the deaths of more than 239 people as well as the displacements of thousands and the destruction of many properties across the nation.
https://qz.com/africa/1884387/ethiopia-internet-is-back-on-but-oromo-tensions-remain/
#africa #ethiopia #censorship
If you type “Is the internet back on in…” into Google the likely first suggested word is “Ethiopia”. It perhaps reflects the frequency with which internet shutdowns have been selectively applied over the last few years in the Africa’s second-largest country by population.
Ethiopia resumed full internet connection on Thursday morning (July 23) after a 23-day hiatus. Full internet means ordinary Ethiopians can now access the internet again, last week partial internet was restored in Addis Ababa to fixed line connections but not mobile phones. But even during the three-week shutdown the internet had stayed on in key locations in Addis Ababa, often described as Africa’s diplomatic capital. Institutions like the African Union, United Nations agencies, international hotels, big businesses and government offices were able to stay connected for the most part.
The shutdown followed last month’s killing of Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa and the subsequent protests his fellow Oromos which have so far resulted in the deaths of more than 239 people as well as the displacements of thousands and the destruction of many properties across the nation.
https://qz.com/africa/1884387/ethiopia-internet-is-back-on-but-oromo-tensions-remain/
#africa #ethiopia #censorship
Quartz
The internet is back on in Ethiopia but there’s every chance it’ll be off again soon
Even during the shutdown Ethiopia's government managed to keep the internet on for diplomats, UN agencies and top hotels
WhatsApp spyware attack: senior clergymen in Togo among activists targeted
Bishop from Togo among 1,400 individuals alerted by WhatsApp to malware attack
A prominent Catholic bishop and a priest in Togo have been told they were targeted by spyware made by the private surveillance firm NSO Group, in the first known case of its kind involving members of the clergy.
A joint investigation by the Guardian and the French newspaper Le Monde can reveal that Bishop Benoît Alowonou and five other critics of Togo’s repressive government were alerted by WhatsApp last year that their mobile phones had been targeted with the spying technology.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/aug/03/senior-clergymen-among-activists-targeted-by-spyware
#africa #togo #whatsapp #spyware
Bishop from Togo among 1,400 individuals alerted by WhatsApp to malware attack
A prominent Catholic bishop and a priest in Togo have been told they were targeted by spyware made by the private surveillance firm NSO Group, in the first known case of its kind involving members of the clergy.
A joint investigation by the Guardian and the French newspaper Le Monde can reveal that Bishop Benoît Alowonou and five other critics of Togo’s repressive government were alerted by WhatsApp last year that their mobile phones had been targeted with the spying technology.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/aug/03/senior-clergymen-among-activists-targeted-by-spyware
#africa #togo #whatsapp #spyware
the Guardian
WhatsApp spyware attack: senior clergymen in Togo among activists targeted
Bishop from Togo among 1,400 individuals alerted by WhatsApp to malware attack
Huawei's deep roots put Africa beyond reach of US crackdown
Chinese telecom gear features in 5G networks in South Africa and Uganda
ISTANBUL -- As the U.S. lobbies for countries around the world to keep Huawei Technologies out of their telecommunications networks, the Chinese giant has established a seemingly irreversible foothold in Africa, a market of 1.3 billion people.
African presenters featured prominently in an online event held by Huawei in late July, including South African Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, who stressed the growing importance of a digital shift amid the coronavirus pandemic.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Huawei-crackdown/Huawei-s-deep-roots-put-Africa-beyond-reach-of-US-crackdown
#Africa #Huawei
Chinese telecom gear features in 5G networks in South Africa and Uganda
ISTANBUL -- As the U.S. lobbies for countries around the world to keep Huawei Technologies out of their telecommunications networks, the Chinese giant has established a seemingly irreversible foothold in Africa, a market of 1.3 billion people.
African presenters featured prominently in an online event held by Huawei in late July, including South African Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, who stressed the growing importance of a digital shift amid the coronavirus pandemic.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Huawei-crackdown/Huawei-s-deep-roots-put-Africa-beyond-reach-of-US-crackdown
#Africa #Huawei
Nikkei Asia
Huawei's deep roots put Africa beyond reach of US crackdown
Chinese telecom gear features in 5G networks in South Africa and Uganda
Thousands of Cheap Android Phones in Africa Were Pre-Installed With Malware
The hard-to-remove Triada malware was getting preinstalled on thousands of Tecno W2 handsets from a Chinese company called Transsion, according to security research from Upsteam Systems.
Thousands of cheap Android smartphones were getting sold in Africa with malware already pre-installed onboard, according to new security research.
On Monday, the mobile company Upstream Systems published a report on how a nasty malware strain known as Triada has been preying on low-income consumers in over a dozen African countries.
Usually malware ends up on an Android device after the owner installs a fake third-party app that contains malicious code. However, Upstream noticed the Triada malware was getting preinstalled on thousands of Tecno W2 handsets from a Chinese company called Transsion before getting sold to local consumers in countries such as Ethopia, Cameroon and Egypt.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/thousands-of-cheap-android-phones-in-africa-were-pre-installed-with-malware
#Africa #Transsion #Android #phone #malware
The hard-to-remove Triada malware was getting preinstalled on thousands of Tecno W2 handsets from a Chinese company called Transsion, according to security research from Upsteam Systems.
Thousands of cheap Android smartphones were getting sold in Africa with malware already pre-installed onboard, according to new security research.
On Monday, the mobile company Upstream Systems published a report on how a nasty malware strain known as Triada has been preying on low-income consumers in over a dozen African countries.
Usually malware ends up on an Android device after the owner installs a fake third-party app that contains malicious code. However, Upstream noticed the Triada malware was getting preinstalled on thousands of Tecno W2 handsets from a Chinese company called Transsion before getting sold to local consumers in countries such as Ethopia, Cameroon and Egypt.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/thousands-of-cheap-android-phones-in-africa-were-pre-installed-with-malware
#Africa #Transsion #Android #phone #malware
PCMAG
Thousands of Cheap Android Phones in Africa Were Pre-Installed With Malware
The hard-to-remove Triada malware was getting preinstalled on thousands of Tecno W2 handsets from a Chinese company called Transsion, according to security research from Upsteam Systems.
South Africa’s Internet Censorship Bill will deal a massive blow to free speech
The new proposals seek to regulate "harmful content."
South Africa is joining a growing number of countries struggling with new legislation being introduced to regulate the internet, that might easily hinder freedom of speech and content distribution online.
The Amendment Regulations (FPAA) to the Films and Publications Amendment Act (FPA) that now await South African president’s signature to become law, are known by critics as the Internet Censorship Bill.
What FPA wants to do is regulate the films, games, and publications market, while the amendments that have now been adopted by the country’s parliament seek to adjust to the new reality of online content availability, social media, and electronic communications.
https://reclaimthenet.org/south-africas-internet-censorship-bill/
#Africa #SouthAfrica #internet #censorship
The new proposals seek to regulate "harmful content."
South Africa is joining a growing number of countries struggling with new legislation being introduced to regulate the internet, that might easily hinder freedom of speech and content distribution online.
The Amendment Regulations (FPAA) to the Films and Publications Amendment Act (FPA) that now await South African president’s signature to become law, are known by critics as the Internet Censorship Bill.
What FPA wants to do is regulate the films, games, and publications market, while the amendments that have now been adopted by the country’s parliament seek to adjust to the new reality of online content availability, social media, and electronic communications.
https://reclaimthenet.org/south-africas-internet-censorship-bill/
#Africa #SouthAfrica #internet #censorship
Reclaim The Net
South Africa's Internet Censorship Bill will deal a massive blow to free speech
The new proposals seek to regulate "harmful content."
Facebook’s push to fix its fake news problem isn’t working in Africa either
Just over a year ago, Facebook announced it would add fake news checks on local language content in a bid to boost trust and reliability among African users. It came along with other measures, including shutting down suspected networks of fake accounts targeting African elections with misinformation.
But recent data suggests those moves have not yet paid off among one of Facebook’s most coveted demographics: young Africans.
More than half of young Africans do not regard Facebook as a trustworthy source of news, claims a poll by the African Youth Survey, which was commissioned by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation and conducted by global polling firm, PSB Research. WhatsApp, the messaging app owned by Facebook, which is the dominant social media platform in Africa, is also deemed untrustworthy by half of the survey’s respondents. In contrast, only about a fifth of respondents had similar misgivings about Google as a source of news.
https://qz.com/africa/1898283/fake-news-young-africans-dont-trust-facebook-as-a-news-source/
#Africa #Facebook #fake #news
Just over a year ago, Facebook announced it would add fake news checks on local language content in a bid to boost trust and reliability among African users. It came along with other measures, including shutting down suspected networks of fake accounts targeting African elections with misinformation.
But recent data suggests those moves have not yet paid off among one of Facebook’s most coveted demographics: young Africans.
More than half of young Africans do not regard Facebook as a trustworthy source of news, claims a poll by the African Youth Survey, which was commissioned by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation and conducted by global polling firm, PSB Research. WhatsApp, the messaging app owned by Facebook, which is the dominant social media platform in Africa, is also deemed untrustworthy by half of the survey’s respondents. In contrast, only about a fifth of respondents had similar misgivings about Google as a source of news.
https://qz.com/africa/1898283/fake-news-young-africans-dont-trust-facebook-as-a-news-source/
#Africa #Facebook #fake #news
Quartz Africa
Facebook’s push to fix its fake news problem isn’t working in Africa either
The low levels of trust pose a threat to Facebook's long-term ambitions of becoming a trusted and dominant platform among young African users
This lending app publicly shames you when you’re late on loan payment
Okash, a popular fintech app in Kenya and Nigeria, threatens users to notify everyone on their contact list when you fall behind on your loan payments.
The only person David Kiragu lied to about the texts was his mom. To those close to him, like his partner, friends, former schoolmates, and work colleagues, he explained what was going on. To more distant contacts, including annoying relatives, he said nothing.
His mother probably knew he was lying — mothers often do — but she let it slide.
“I couldn’t tell her the truth,” Kiragu said to me last December. “So I told her it was one of those prison scams and she should ignore it.”
He owed money. Not a lot of it, but that didn’t matter. His fintech creditor was still telling everyone in Kiragu’s inner circle that he was a deadbeat.
It happened like this: Toward the end of March 2018, Kiragu found himself in a bind. At 32, he earned a solid income as a manager at an iNGO in Nairobi. But for the first time in his life, he couldn’t make rent.
https://restofworld.org/2020/okash-microlending-public-shaming/
#Africa #fintech #personal #loans
Okash, a popular fintech app in Kenya and Nigeria, threatens users to notify everyone on their contact list when you fall behind on your loan payments.
The only person David Kiragu lied to about the texts was his mom. To those close to him, like his partner, friends, former schoolmates, and work colleagues, he explained what was going on. To more distant contacts, including annoying relatives, he said nothing.
His mother probably knew he was lying — mothers often do — but she let it slide.
“I couldn’t tell her the truth,” Kiragu said to me last December. “So I told her it was one of those prison scams and she should ignore it.”
He owed money. Not a lot of it, but that didn’t matter. His fintech creditor was still telling everyone in Kiragu’s inner circle that he was a deadbeat.
It happened like this: Toward the end of March 2018, Kiragu found himself in a bind. At 32, he earned a solid income as a manager at an iNGO in Nairobi. But for the first time in his life, he couldn’t make rent.
https://restofworld.org/2020/okash-microlending-public-shaming/
#Africa #fintech #personal #loans
Rest of World
This lending app publicly shames you when you’re late on loan payment
Okash, a popular fintech app in Kenya and Nigeria, threatens users to notify everyone on their contact list when you fall behind on your loan payments.