Kenya rights groups say move to block phone fraud is surveillance

Pedestrians pass an advertisement for Samsung Electronics Co’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip smartphones on a Safaricom Plc store in Nairobi, Kenya. According to the Kenya’s Anti-Counterfeit Agency, Kenya is a major hub for counterfeit goods in Africa, with smartphones making up more than half of all fake products in the country. — Bloomberg

NAIROBI: Kenyan digital rights campaigners warn a phone tracking programme the government said it was pressing ahead with to trace counterfeit devices and curb fraud could lead to increased state surveillance and invasion of privacy.

Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy Eliud Owalo said this month that the government intends to go ahead with plans to roll out a Device Management System (DMS) to allow authorities to access the unique identification number of mobile phones and block services to fake devices.