Conflow Power Group Signs 50,000 iLamp Deal With Katsina State as Experts Challenge AI Surveillance Claims
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 28
Conflow Power Group Signs 50,000 iLamp Deal With Katsina State as Experts Challenge AI Surveillance Claims
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 28
Summary
Conflow Power Group said it has agreed to supply 50,000 solar-powered iLamps to Nigeria’s Katsina state, with capabilities that could support vehicle and facial surveillance.
Edward Fitzpatrick, CPG’s chairman, said the lamp-posts could eventually help find missing people and fight crime, though he said such functions would be developed only with relevant authorities.
Big Brother Watch and academic experts questioned both the privacy implications and the technology itself, warning facial recognition can be added later and saying claims of lamp-post AI datacentres are largely unworkable.
Data ownership emerged as another concern, with critics warning public bodies can lose control of information harvested by smart infrastructure if contracts are poorly written.
In Warwickshire, where some iLamps are already installed, residents interviewed by the BBC were mostly relaxed about more surveillance, underscoring how normalized CCTV-style monitoring has become.