China's Digital Silk Road in Africa

 The Voice of America published on 11 March 2023 an article titled "China's 'Digital Silk Road' in Africa Raises Questions" by Kate Bartlett.

The article discusses US concerns with China's Digital Silk Road in Africa, suggesting that some of the technology may be abused and used for illicit surveillance purposes.   

Chinese Companies Help Zimbabwe Set Up Surveillance State

 Global Voices, a mostly volunteer community of international activists, posted on 10 January 2023 a commentary titled "How Zimbabwe Is Building a Big Brother Surveillance State."

A surveillance system set up with the help of Chinese companies such as Huawei and Hikvision and a loan from the China Export-Import Bank allows the leaders of Zimbabwe to keep a tight grip on political power.  

China and Africa's Digital Authoritarianism

 The London School of Economics blog posted on 9 September 2021 a commentary titled "Don't Blame China for the Rise of Digital Authoritarianism in Africa" by Mandira Bagwandeen, University of Cape Town.  

The author argues that by blaming digital authoritarianism in Africa on China alone, and overlooking the roles of other offenders, risks oversimplifying a complex environment.  

Chinese IT Technology Penetrates Middle East and Africa

 The Middle East Institute published in March 2021 a report titled "Chinese Technology in the Middle East: A Threat to Sovereignty or an Economic Opportunity?" by Thomas Blaubach.  

China's Belt and Road Initiative is trying to reorient the Eurasian-African economy toward Beijing through infrastructure deals and the Digital Silk Road, which seeks to connect the global economy using Chinese technology led by companies like Huawei, ZTE, and Hikvision.

South Africa: Chinese Video Surveillance Equipment Subject to Cyber Attacks

South Africa's Daily Maverick published a two part series on cyber security weaknesses in Chinese video surveillance equipment being widely used in South Africa. Part One appeared on 13 June 2019 titled "Visual Surveillance and Weak Cyber Security, Part One: When Cameras Get Dangerous" by investigative reporter Heidi Swart.

China's Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology leads the global video surveillance industry. The government of China is a controlling shareholder. Hikvision established a South African branch in 2015 in partnership with South Africa's Vumacam, which uses Hikvision internet protocol (IP) cameras. The cameras are intended to curb crime but researchers have discovered several cyber-security vulnerabilities in Hikvision's products that a hacker can use to get into computers, smartphones, IP cameras, etc. These vulnerabilities can allow a hacker to control remotely a device, infect it with malware, or access data.

Daily Maverick published on 26 June 2019 a followup report titled "Video Surveillance and Cybersecurity (Part Two): Chinese Cyber Espionage Is a Real Threat" by Heidi Swart.

Part Two raises the potential for espionage by using equipment provided by Hikvision, Huawei, and ZTE drawing heavily on concerns expressed in the United States. Unlike the United States, however, South Africa's State Security Agency has enjoyed a close relationship with China's security agencies.