A living index of documented cases where technology caused harm — and where the law failed to protect people. Every profile is a policy argument.
Details are anonymized to protect individuals. Cases are selected for the policy gap they expose, not shock value. This index informs Decra's tech policy advisory work.
A man in Kisumu posted live during a mental health episode. The video reached 200k views before it was reported.
Policy Gap
No platform-level duty of care for real-time mental health crisis detection in Sub-Saharan Africa.
A 9-year-old in Nairobi was unknowingly enrolled in a data-harvesting learning app by her school.
Policy Gap
Kenya's Data Protection Act lacks specific provisions for children's data collected in educational contexts.
A university student was doxxed across four platforms simultaneously. Each platform acted independently — none coordinated.
Policy Gap
Cross-platform coordination obligations don't exist in any current African tech regulation framework.
A domestic abuse survivor was tracked in real-time through a shared family app she could not remove without her abuser knowing.
Policy Gap
Tech-facilitated coercive control is not a distinct harm category in Kenyan law.
A small Nairobi retailer's product was suppressed by a marketplace algorithm with no explanation or appeal path.
Policy Gap
Algorithmic transparency and redress mechanisms are absent from e-commerce regulation in East Africa.
A secondary school installed keylogging software on student devices without parental consent or disclosure.
Policy Gap
Institutional surveillance of minors lacks regulatory oversight under current data protection frameworks.
Contribute to the Index
If you've witnessed or experienced tech harm in Africa — especially where the law failed — share it. All submissions are reviewed, anonymized, and credited only if you request it.
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