Democratising spy watching: new book from Scottish Universities Press illuminates public oversight of digital surveillance in Southern Africa
Scottish Universities Press (SUP) is proud to announce the publication of Democratising spy watching: Public oversight of digital surveillance in Southern Africa, edited by Jane Duncan, Professor of Digital Society at the University of Glasgow and British Academy Global Professor, and Allen Munoriyarwa, Associate Professor of Journalism at Walter Sisulu University, South Africa.
This timely and significant work offers a comprehensive analysis of the critical challenge of intelligence accountability in an era of expanding digital surveillance capabilities. It sheds light on the successes, challenges and lessons learned from public interventions in holding intelligence agencies accountable.
As digital surveillance capabilities expand globally, official oversight institutions often lack the power and resources to effectively regulate these practices. Democratising spy watching reveals how, in southern Africa, digitisation has provided intelligence agencies with unprecedented surveillance capabilities, using a range of digital technologies and practices across different state and non-state institutions. By exploring comparative case studies of surveillance scandals and public responses, this book examines eight southern African countries exploring key moments when public oversight has been attempted in the region and examining cases where this oversight either succeeded, failed, or achieved mixed outcomes. It provides a unique and globally relevant insight into how citizens can challenge and influence intelligence practices.
The book brings together contributions from leading scholars and practitioners across the region, including Rui Verde, Tachilisa Badala Balule, Tresor Maheshe Musole, Sarah Chiumbu, Ernesto Nhanale, Frederico Links, Borges Nhamirre, and Phillip Santos.
Jane Duncan and Allen Munoriyarwa bring decades of expertise in surveillance studies and digital society to this volume, making it an essential resource for academics, policymakers, activists, and practitioners committed to strengthening democratic governance and intelligence accountability. The book offers a new model of public oversight, highlighting strategies that work and those that do not, with the potential to inspire similar action worldwide.
Hannah Whaley, Chair of the SUP Management Board, said: “We are delighted to support this important contribution to understanding and strengthening intelligence accountability. This work exemplifies SUP's mission to make vital academic research accessible to the widest possible audience, from scholars to activists working on the ground."