¹HARUNA MARTINS OJOAJOGWU, ²ATULUKU ANDREW SAMUEL

^1,2Faculty of Communication and Media Studies Nasarawa State University, Keffi

DOI : https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2025.v4i8n04

Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT

This paper examines the implications of AI-driven surveillance on media freedom and national security in Nigeria. As the country increasingly adopts advanced technologies to address security challenges, concerns arise about potential infringements on civil liberties, particularly press freedom. The study employs a comparative case study approach, analyzing AI surveillance implementation in China, the United Kingdom, and Estonia to derive insights applicable to the Nigerian context. The research reveals that without adequate legal frameworks and oversight, AI surveillance can significantly undermine media freedom and lead to journalistic self-censorship. Even in democratic societies, tensions emerge between security objectives and press freedoms. However, transparent approaches to AI implementation, coupled with strong data protection laws and public engagement, can help maintain trust and safeguard civil liberties while addressing security concerns.The paper recommends that Nigeria prioritize developing comprehensive legal frameworks to protect press freedoms and individual privacy while implementing AI-driven surveillance. It suggests adopting elements of Estonia's transparent approach to digital governance while being mindful of risks illustrated by the Chinese and UK cases. Engaging in open dialogue with media organizations, civil society groups, and technology experts is crucial for developing balanced policies. Furthermore, the study proposes that Nigerian media organizations and journalist associations develop enhanced source protection protocols to counter AI surveillance capabilities. It also recommends implementing a standardized AI Impact Assessment Framework across newsrooms to regularly evaluate how surveillance technologies influence editorial decisions. These measures aim to strike a balance between enhancing national security and preserving media freedom in the age of AI-driven surveillance.

REFERENCES

1) Article 19. (2022). The Global Expression Report 2021/2022: The state of freedom of expression around the world. https://www.article19.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/A19-GxR-Report-22.pdf

2) Buzan, B., Wæver, O., & de Wilde, J. (1998). Security: A new framework for analysis. Lynne Rienner Publishers.

3) Byman, D. (2015). Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and the global jihadist movement: What everyone needs to know. Oxford University Press.

4) Committee to Protect Journalists. (2020). Digital technologies and press freedom in Nigeria. https://cpj.org/reports/2020/02/digital-technologies-press-freedom-nigeria/

5) Committee to Protect Journalists. (2023). Attacks on the press: Journalism on the world's front lines. Bloomberg Press.

6) Elbe, S. (2021). Pandemics, pills, and politics: Governing global health security. Johns Hopkins University Press.

7) Federal Republic of Nigeria. (2013). Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013. https://www.nass.gov.ng/document/download/5944

8) Freedom House. (2023). Freedom in the World 2023: Nigeria. https://freedomhouse.org/country/nigeria/freedom-world/2023

9) Hao, K. (2019). This is how AI bias really happens—and why it's so hard to fix. MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/04/137602/this-is-how-ai-bias-really-happensand-why-its-so-hard-to-fix/

10) Jordan, A. A., Taylor, W. J., Meese, M. J., & Nielsen, S. C. (2009). American national security (6th ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press.

11) Katzenstein, P. J. (Ed.). (1996). The culture of national security: Norms and identity in world politics. Columbia University Press.

12) Kaye, D. (2019). Speech police: The global struggle to govern the internet. Columbia Global Reports.

13) Keohane, R. O., & Nye, J. S. (1977). Power and interdependence: World politics in transition. Little, Brown.

14) Kitchin, R. (2019). The realtimeness of smart cities. TECNOSCIENZA: Italian Journal of Science & Technology Studies, 10(1), 19-42.

15) Mozur, P. (2018, July 8). Inside China's dystopian dreams: A.I., shame and lots of cameras. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/08/business/china-surveillance-technology.html

16) National Information Technology Development Agency. (2019). Nigeria Data Protection Regulation. https://nitda.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/NigeriaDataProtectionRegulation.pdf

17) Office of the National Security Adviser. (2019). National Security Strategy. https://ctc.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/NATIONAL-SECURITY-STRATEGY-2019.pdf

18) Ojebode, A. (2018). Nigeria's media: Landscape and trends. In A. Ojebode (Ed.), Digital journalism in Nigeria (pp. 1-20). Palgrave Macmillan.

19) Posetti, J. (2017). Protecting journalism sources in the digital age. UNESCO Publishing.

20) Posner, E. A., & Vermeule, A. (2007). Terror in the balance: Security, liberty, and the courts. Oxford University Press.

21) Reporters Without Borders. (2021). Journalism in the age of surveillance. https://rsf.org/en/journalism-age-surveillance

22) Reporters Without Borders. (2022). 2022 World Press Freedom Index: A new era of polarisation. https://rsf.org/en/2022-world-press-freedom-index-new-era-polarisation

23) Reporters Without Borders. (2023). 2023 World Press Freedom Index. https://rsf.org/en/index

24) Richardson, R., Schultz, J., & Crawford, K. (2019). Dirty data, bad predictions: How civil rights violations impact police data, predictive policing systems, and justice. New York University Law Review Online, 94, 15-55.

25) Romm, J. J. (1993). Defining national security: The nonmilitary aspects. Council on Foreign Relations Press.

26) Russell, S. J., & Norvig, P. (2020). Artificial intelligence: A modern approach (4th ed.). Pearson.

27) Schudson, M. (2020). Journalism: Why it matters. Polity Press.

28) Singer, P. W., & Friedman, A. (2014). Cybersecurity and cyberwar: What everyone needs to know. Oxford University Press.

29) United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

30) United Nations Development Programme. (1994). Human Development Report 1994. Oxford University Press.

31) United Nations Human Rights Committee. (2011). General comment No. 34: Article 19: Freedoms of opinion and expression. https://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/docs/gc34.pdf

32) United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. (2022). The right to privacy in the digital age: Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5137-right-privacy-digital-age-report-united-nations-high-commissioner

33) United Nations Human Rights Council. (2019). Surveillance and human rights: Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression (A/HRC/41/35). https://undocs.org/A/HRC/41/35

34) U.S. Department of Defense. (2015). National security implications of climate-related risks and a changing climate. https://archive.defense.gov/pubs/150724-congressional-report-on-national-implications-of-climate-change.pdf

35) Waltz, K. N. (1979). Theory of international politics. Addison-Wesley.

36) Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. Public Affairs.

VOlUME 04 ISSUE 08 AUGUST 2025