By Dorothy Mukasa
In responding to violent crime in the country, Uganda Police Force has of recent taken strides in transforming modern policing by embracing the use of surveillance technology.
According to the August statement, endorsed by the police publicist Fred Enanga, installation of CCTV cameras had been scaled up to 85% within the Kampala Metropolitan police area, as well as facial recognition and Artificial Intelligence.
The use of Surveillance has been applauded by President Yoweri Museveni on several occasions as a solution to ending the country’s escalating crime.
Well, we need to understand that we are under surveillance at all times and potentially in multiple ways at the same time. The wave of surveillance from tracking our movements on the streets to tapping our communication via cellphones is growing steadily thicker and more inescapable.
This brings into question whether a privacy impact assessment is undertaken by the authorities before implementing intrusive surveillance technologies.
Advanced surveillance systems such as CCTV need to be subject to checks and balances to prevent human rights abuses. Like any intrusive technology, the benefits of deploying public video cameras must be balanced against the costs and dangers.
Absence of the law which sets clear boundaries for CCTV systems poses a significant danger.
History has shown that surveillance technologies put in place for one purpose inevitably expand into other uses.
As long as there is no clear consensus about where we draw the line on surveillance to protect civil liberties, public CCTV is in danger of evolving into a surveillance monster.
Surveillance in public space has a chilling effect on public life. When citizens are being watched by the authorities, they are more self-conscious and less free-wheeling.
It is important that intrusive surveillance like facial recognition is regulated by the law and that there are enough safeguards in place to ensure that rights are protected.
Dorothy Mukasa is the Chief Executive Officer of Unwanted Witness, a non-profit body that advocates for uncensored online platforms in Uganda.
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