This archive report was first published on 10 June 2020.
On June 10, 2020, a Kenyan PR executive received a disturbing phone call from a police officer claiming that one of her staff members was involved in a violent robbery.
The officer, who identified himself as Evans from a police station in Thika, told the executive that the staff member was with the perpetrators and could be located through her phone's signal information.
However, the executive was skeptical of the officer's claims, and when she asked why he was calling her, he replied that he wanted her to persuade the staff member to meet with the police.
But the officer's story didn't add up, and the executive soon discovered that he had been calling her staff members' friends and colleagues, spreading false accusations about their involvement in violent crimes.
It turned out that the police had gained access to the mobile phone company's signal information, allowing them to track the location of anyone who had purchased a second-hand phone that had been used in a crime.
The executive's experience highlights the need for rules and accountability in law enforcement, particularly when it comes to the use of technology to track individuals.
As she noted, 'Are there no rules on who you locate with your signal, just general managers generally, in case they know someone who knows someone who knows someone with the address of someone who bought a phone that turned out to be stolen? So that's everyone then?'
