Hot take; there's a problem with digital IDs in Africa

also ft online-driven homophobic attacks

Olatunji Olaigbe

and

Adebola Makinde

Nov 23, 2024

CybAfriqué is a space for news and analysis on cyber, data, and information security on the African continent.

Hi,

In September, I was on an assignment in Cross River, where Nigeria shares a (not surprisingly) porous border with Cameroon. Our bus was stopped numerous times by border patrol on the simple basis that I looked too non-Nigerian, and every time a piece of self-printed digital ID card that Nigeria had only rolled out this year had come to my rescue. This week, we are mulling over that in context with the United Nations Development Program’s renewed call for digital IDs in Africa.

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— Olatunji

HIGHLIGHTS

The African Case Against Digital IDs

Last week, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) made headlines for “promoting Digital Identity Systems as a tool to drive inclusion in Africa.” The UN program is actively driving the implementation of a system across a number of countries, including Somalia, Zambia, and Ethiopia, under a system called the Model Governance Framework for Digital Legal Identity.

Besides the UNDP’s program, African countries more broadly have made news for either digitizing identity databases, processes, or tokens. There’s a lot to unpack on this craze for digital IDs, but first; what are digital IDs?

Digital IDs in the context of governance, citizenship, and identification, are simply the digital record of someone's identity and thus can be easily retrieved. For example, the Nigeria self-printable ID card, yellow fever vaccination card, and other documents feature a QR code through which can be scanned to confirm on a portal that the record exists on the government’s server. The first step to the digitization of identity is simply the existence of a digital copy, biometric data, token, or code that is directly connected and exclusive to a living being. A non-digital identity is one that does not exist on a digital record and thus is not as easily retrievable or confirmable as a digital identity.

This level of digitization ensures a form of security because it’s encrypted, cloud-based, and also provides the background for other levels of digitization. Nigerians can easily print an ID card as opposed to going to a certified center to have the printing done. A bank can easily confirm if the identity token i provide matches just from a picture I provide. Authorities (and sometimes just random people) can confirm the owner of a SIM card by drawing against the digital database. The essence of digital identities is they are faster, more secure, and theoretically more inclusive because they only require the internet.

But here are the issues;

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Digital IDs have proven to be a front for corruption and embezzlement

In July, a Lighthouse report revealed that tech vendors are making a fortune off false promises of revolutionary Digital Identity Systems. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the investigation followed a “succession of phantom biometrics deals which have seen billions of dollars committed on paper but have so far failed to deliver a national population registry or any functioning ID cards across successive governments.” In Nigeria, we have counted numerous calls, approvals, and repeated assignments of public funds to build digital identities.

They can, and are, enabling unethical surveillance

As highlighted by this CIPESA report, Digital IDs in Africa can enable mass surveillance schemes, especially in places with already delicate sociopolitical systems. If the government has a database with pictures, addresses, and biometrics of everyone, state-enabled actors, for example, can quickly find a social media user based on their name or picture.

In Uganda, digital identity programs have been used in collaboration with real-time monitoring abilities to enable the state to engage in communications surveillance and movement tracking, especially of journalists and political dissidents. In DRC, stakeholders have called attention to how the digital ID is threatening independent press.

Are they truly inclusive?

Due to pre-existing infrastructure issues such as a lack of fast and affordable internet, electricity, and cheap cloud computing, digital IDs in Africa have proven to be minor inconveniences for everyday people even at their best. The Nigerian NIN database, for example, is prone to unexplained crashes that affect the opening of bank accounts, processing visas, and international passports, or buying SIM cards. In Kenya, where Digital IDs are tied to being able to access financial services, insurance, and other basics of living, the system has been called out for excluding millions of people.

Yet, Africa continues to be at the forefront of a push for digital identities without addressing undermining systemic issues.

Africa’s prevalent social media-enabled homophobia attacks

LGBTQ+ individuals in Africa are experiencing a surge in online harassment, hate speech, cyberbullying, catfishing, and doxing — which is also translating to real-life attacks on members of the LGBTQ community. In one month alone, South Africa recorded at least 12 cases of homophobic murders between August and September. Since September, there have been 45 gay assaults in Ivory Coast. Many of these spikes have been started, or fed on vicious online attacks on the community, with influencers and notable digital personalities at their center. This abuse of human rights is still ongoing and is especially becoming worse as several countries in the continent keep passing anti-LGBTQ+ regulations.

According to a report by the International Security Studies (ISS), 33 African countries have laws that criminalize same-sex relationships making it harder for homosexuals to avoid indiscriminate attention. Preventing such abuse is further complicated as many provisions are still bound by cultural norms.

Although many countries have regulations prohibiting cybercrimes such as Nigeria’s Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024 that aims to prevent and punish cybercrime, including cyberbullying, the abstract nature of these laws do not take cognizance of marginalized people, such as women, children, and members of the LGBTQ communities. Discrimination is also a factor barring many victims from reporting to authorities.

To prevent this, African countries have been called to look beyond socially-determined moral conduct and strictly apply holistic laws, including data privacy, cyber harassment, etc to prevent or lessen abuse.

FEATURES

According to this report, Ghana, Guinea, and Nigeria have experienced significant increases in cyber attacks, targeting governments, businesses, and individuals. In Ghana, 47% of organizations fell victim to cyber-attacks in 2022 with government websites and databases as prime targets. Guinea saw a staggering 300% rise in cyber attacks with the mining and financial sectors particularly vulnerable. Nigeria also ranked third in Africa for cybercrime, reporting 71% of organizations experiencing cyber attacks.