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Here’s the shape of the world to come: Two countries that used to be models of web freedom in Africa have embraced China’s vision of the internet. And Huawei is in both places, hand-holding local police as they learn to shackle dissidents with digital surveillance
This story was the results of months of digging by @Nicholasbariyo and @JoeWSJ, who discovered Huawei technicians embedded with a Ugandan police intelligence helped crack the phone of @HEBobiwine, who was planning a concert to rally resistance to President Yoweri Museveni.
Wine had arranged in secret for 11 other opposition politicians to join him at the concert. Here’s a video that gives a sense of what the event might have sounded like:
Anyway, it didn’t happen. The police, working from WhatsApp messages Huawei staff helped them pull off Wine’s phone, swarmed in and arrested the people who were supposed to appear on stage.
Later, @clementburge and I went to Uganda to shoot a mini-doc about Wine’s story and the $126-million “Safe City” surveillance system Huawei was installing at the Ugandan government’s behest. You can see that here (no subscription required): wsj.com/video/wsj-inve…
Elections in Uganda are already tilted in favor of Museveni, who won his fifth term in 2016 after shutting off social media and keeping his opponent under house arrest. The surveillance made the opposition more despondent about beating him through the ballot 
The Huawei system, still in its early stages, was already helping Museveni lock down the lifelong presidency he’s been seeking. This scene in the airport waiting lounge drove home the point:
Uganda’s not alone. We found a similar situation unfolding in Zambia (confirmed on-the-record by officials there). But I won’t spoil it. Read the rest here:
wsj.com/articles/huawe…
wsj.com/articles/huawe…
It’s now morning in China and I realize I forgot to credit @bethblackshire and @Westyhk for their masterful editing. They kept us on the straight and true throughout.
