The Rise of China’s ‘Surveillance Colonialism’ in Africa

‘Surveillance colonialism operates through algorithms, platforms, and biometric contracts, outsourcing control while entrenching dependency,’ one expert said.

Illustration by The Epoch Times, Freepik

JOHANNESBURG—African governments are using Chinese artificial intelligence to find, jail, torture, and even kill political opponents and pro-democracy activists, according to several investigations.

Researchers say Beijing is exporting its “surveillance state” model to African countries and rapidly positioning itself to control the critical infrastructure, data, and energy that will power the continent’s AI systems in the future.