The Communication Surveillance focus area of the MPDP produces journalism mapping the growth of state surveillance capabilities in selected southern African countries. We formed a network of journalists and communication researchers on surveillance issues in southern Africa, and members of this network work with one another to produce research and journalism on the spread of surveillance technologies and practices in the region. The project extends work that has already been done on data-driven state surveillance in South Africa, and the extent to which this form of surveillance balances basic rights and freedoms, such as freedom of expression and privacy, with the safety and security requirements of different governments. The intention is to extend this work to strategic countries in the region, given that surveillance powers are expanding, often in the absence of appropriate accountability mechanisms. The work is funded by Luminate. ​

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
 
L’atteinte à la liberté d’expression sur les réseaux sociaux entame la démocratie (Attacking freedom of expression on social networks undermines democracy)
 https://jambordc.info/rdc-latteinte-a-la-liberte-dexpression-sur-les-reseaux-sociaux-entame-la-democratie/
 
Le gouvernement traque désormais la publication des documents officiels sur les réseaux sociaux (The government is now tracking the publication of official documents on social networks)
https://jambordc.info/rdc-le-gouvernement-traque-desormais-la-publication-des-documents-officiels-sur-les-reseaux-sociaux/
 
Quand des services de sécurité traquent des images « compromettantes » anti-régime dans des téléphones portables (When security services track down "compromising" anti-regime images in cellphones)
https://jambordc.info/rdc-quand-des-services-de-securite-traquent-des-images-compromettantes-anti-regime-dans-des-telephones-portables
 
Le RAM risque d’accroitre la surveillance et limiter l’accès à la communication (RAM may increase surveillance and limit access to communication)
https://jambordc.info/20961/
 
NAMIBIA
 
Ripe for surveillance abuse – Unpacking Namibia’s SIM card registration limbo 
 https://ereader.namibian.com.na/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&pubid=1c99b818-f596-4c6f-a2e7-2b5220d54d5b
 
AI, Biometrics and No Protection from Abuse
https://www.namibian.com.na/99272/read/AI-Biometrics-and-No-Protection-from-Abuse
 
Social Media Surveillance and the Overreaction to Youth Activism 
https://ereader.namibian.com.na/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&pubid=1c99b818-f596-4c6f-a2e7-2b5220d54d5b
 
MOZAMBIQUE
 
Como o governo usa a tecnologia para controlar cidadãos (Trust us, we will keep you safe: Mozambique installs surveillance cameras to monitor its citizens)
 
MALAWI
 
Fresh elections trigger digital surveillance fears
https://ihubonline.net/fresh-elections-trigger-digital-surveillance-fears/
 
Nine years of a spy machine
https://www.mwnation.com/nine-years-of-a-spy-machine/
 
Hiding behind laws to accomplish digital surveillance
https://www.mwnation.com/hiding-behind-laws-to-accomplish-digital-surveillance/
 
ZAMBIA
 
Surveillance camera projects deployed to watch on people
https://www.themastonline.com/2020/10/18/surveillance-camera-projects-deployed-to-watch-on-people/.
 
 ZIMBABWE
 
Privacy violation fears as government sets surveillance camera cities.
https://www.thestandard.co.zw/2020/06/21/privacy-violations-fears-grow-govt-sets-surveillance-cameras-cities/
 
Shutting citizens; forget privacy
https://www.thestandard.co.zw/2020/01/26/shutting-citizens-forget-privacy-surveillance/amp/
 
Military surveillance could endanger democracy
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2020/03/military-surveillance-could-endanger-democracy/

Creating a surveillance state with Chinese help
https://www.thestandard.co.zw/2020/03/01/creating-surveillance-state-ed-govt-zooms-critics-chinese-help/
 
Zimbabwe's new cyber law to target online government and military critics
https://www.thestandard.co.zw/2020/07/12/zimbabwes-new-cyber-law-to-target-online-government-and-military-critics/
 
Zimbabwe's era of the state could herald increased repression
https://www.thestandard.co.zw/2020/09/06/zims-era-of-the-state-could-herald-increased-repression/

SOUTH AFRICA

Jane Duncan 

Duncan, J. 2018. Op-ed: What Ramaphosa needs to do to fix state spying, Part 8 - biometrics and biosurveillance. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-03-19-op-ed-what-cyril-ramaphosa-needs-to-do-to-fix-state-spying-part-8-biometrics-and-biosurveillance/

Duncan, J. 2018. Op-ed: What if Ramaphosa doesn't fix state spying? Part 7 - Activism. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-03-13-op-ed-what-if-ramaphosa-doesnt-fix-state-spying-part-7-activism/

Duncan, J. 2018. Op-ed: What Ramaphosa needs to do to fix state spying, Part 6 - drones. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-03-07-op-ed-what-ramaphosa-needs-to-do-to-fix-state-spying-part-6-drones/

Duncan, J. 2018. Op-ed: What Ramaphosa needs to do to fix state spying, Part 5 - the information/privacy regulator. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-03-01-op-ed-what-ramaphosa-needs-to-do-to-fix-state-spying-part-5-the-informationprivacy-regulator/

Duncan, J. 2018. Op-ed: What Ramaphosa needs to do to fix state spying, Part 4 - 'smart' policing and CCTV surveillance. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-02-25-op-ed-what-ramaphosa-needs-to-do-to-fix-state-spying-part-4-smart-policing-and-cctv-surveillance/

Duncan, J. 2018. Op-ed: What Ramaphosa needs to do to fix state spying, Part 3 - intrusive surveillance and counterintelligence. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-02-22-op-ed-what-ramaphosa-needs-to-do-to-fix-state-spying-part-3-intrusive-surveillance-and-counterintelligence/

Duncan, J. 2018. Op-ed: What Ramaphosa needs to do to fix state spying, Part 2 - mass and tactical surveillance. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-02-20-op-ed-what-ramaphosa-needs-to-do-to-fix-state-spying-part-2-mass-and-tactical-surveillance/#.WoxAFxtG3IU

Duncan, J. 2018. Op-ed: What Ramaphosa needs to do to fix state spying, Part 1: Rica and lawful interception. Daily Maverick.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-02-19-op-ed-what-ramaphosa-needs-to-do-to-fix-state-spying-part-one-rica-and-lawful-interception/#.Wow_PhtG3IU

Duncan, J. 2017. Op-ed: How state spying enables state capture. Daily Maverick.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-08-17-op-ed-how-state-spying-enables-state-capture/#.WZVQ_xuQzIU

Duncan, J. 2016. Op-ed: Keep the spies out of snooping on protests. Daily Maverick. http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-11-17-op-ed-keep-the-spies-out-of-snooping-on-protests/#.WC7jghv_rIU

Duncan, J. 2016. Reports of the death of communications privacy are greatly exaggerated. Daily Maverick. http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-04-20-reports-of-the-death-of-communications-privacy-are-greatly-exaggerated/#.VxjkgY1unIU

​
​Dale T. McKinley

McKinley, D. 2017. Op-ed: Is our privacy all but gone? Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-01-30-op-ed-is-our-privacy-all-but-gone/#.WJB8cBvavIU

​Heidi Swart
​
Swart, H. 2018. Protecting privacy: postcards from the edge of being hacked. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-06-08-protecting-privacy-postcards-from-the-edge-of-being-hacked/#.W0KAU9gzZE4

Swart, H. 2018. Your cellphone records and the law: the legal loophole that lets state spying run rampant. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-05-20-your-cellphone-records-and-the-law-the-legal-loophole-that-lets-state-spying-run-rampant/#.W0J5VtgzZE4

Swart, H. 2018. Government surveillance of social media is rife. Guess who's selling your data? Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-04-25-government-surveillance-of-social-media-is-rife-guess-whos-selling-your-data/#.W0J5D9gzZE5

Swart, H. 2017. Social media: Big brother, and his brother, is watching you via data mining. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-10-11-social-media-big-brother-and-his-brother-is-watching-you-via-data-mining/#.WoxwTBNuZE4

Swart, H. 2017. Cyberspying: the ghost in your machine. Daily Maverick.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-02-21-cyberspying-the-ghost-in-your-machine/#.WZVMDBuQzIV

Heidi Swart, 'Social media surveillance may not just be urban legend', Daily Maverick, 20 October 2017: click here

Heidi Swart, 'Cellphone privacy: law enforcement pulls 70,000 subscribers' call records each year - and that's a minimum estimate', Daily Maverick, 23 August 2017: click here

Heidi Swart, 'Op-Ed: Big Brother is watching your phone call records', Daily Maverick, 10 May 2017: click here 

Heidi Swart, ‘Big Brother is listening – on your phone’, Mail & Guardian, 13 November 2015: click here

Heidi Swart, ‘How cops and crooks can “grab” your cellphone – and you', Mail & Guardian, 27 November 2015: click here

Heidi Swart, ‘Say nothing – the spooks are listening’, Mail & Guardian, 18 December 2015: click here

Heidi Swart, 'You always feel like somebody's watching you? They probably are', Daily Maverick, 03 June 2016: click here 

Heidi Swart, 'Missed call: Rica registration 'useless' for crime prevention purposes', Daily Maverick, 10 November 2016: click here