In Kenya, surveillance has become an integral part of everyday life, embedded in the infrastructure of telecom networks used by millions of people daily. This shift has consequential implications for freedom and the presumption of innocence, as location history and communication patterns may serve as the basis for authorities to determine whether an individual is a person of interest. The reality is that connectivity leaves behind information that can be used to reconstruct virtually every aspect of a person's life.
A recent study by British independent investigative journalist Namir Shabibi examined advancements in mobile network infrastructure, location intelligence techniques, and the transfer of AI-augmented military-intelligence analytic tools into routine civilian policing. The study, titled "Telecoms, Ubiquitous Surveillance and State Crime: A Case Study from Kenya," found that the most significant surveillance threat in the country is not highly specialized spyware installed on individual phones but the ubiquitous surveillance built into telecom networks.
Mobile networks continuously generate increasingly precise data on users' location, movements, communications, and relationships, often even when the phone is not actively being used. This means that mobile phone users are, without their knowledge, effectively wearing a GPS ankle tag. Advances in network technology, data retention, and machine-learning analytics are enabling capabilities once associated with military intelligence to enter everyday policing, including bulk surveillance, predictive identification, and tracking of targets.
In the Kenyan context, these concerns have deadly consequences if the regime targets an individual, and therefore, surveillance cannot be reduced to privacy alone. The country has a documented history of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, renditions, and repression of state critics, which has been facilitated by the integration of telecom infrastructure with police and intelligence operations. Knowing someone's location has consequences far beyond their private life.
The regime's ability to locate and track individuals can become the ability to target them. This research was conducted in the framework of the 2025-2026 fellowship at the Disruption Network Institute in Berlin, which produced reports on the Kill Cloud, a term coined by US military whistleblowers Lisa Ling and Cian Westmoreland in 2021. The Kill Cloud refers to an intensifying, networked global infrastructure dominating the full spectrum of warfare.
The study's findings have significant implications for accountability, as state agencies and telecoms have the capability to collect, analyze, and act upon information generated by users. However, users have little ability to know what information is generated about them, who can access it, how long it is retained, how it is analyzed, and whether it has been used to make decisions that have impacted them. This creates a dangerous accountability paradox.
To address these concerns, it is essential to sustain public scrutiny and engage in ongoing discussions about the role of telecoms and the state in surveillance. On November 27, 2026, Shabibi will present his findings at the Disruption Network Lab's conference 'Testing Grounds: The Kill Cloud, AI & Migration Control' in Berlin, hosted by Disruption Network Lab. Events like this provide a crucial platform to continue demanding accountability against unchecked surveillance.
Key points
- The study found that mobile networks continuously generate precise data on users' location, movements, communications, and relationships.
- The regime's ability to locate and track individuals can become the ability to target them.
- Surveillance in Kenya has consequences far beyond individual privacy, with implications for freedom and the presumption of innocence.
