Arbitrary searches, leaked intimacies: Cameroon’s digital privacy crisis.

According to Donaldo, after seizing his device, a police officer accessed his Mobile Money account and used his withdrawal code to clear out his funds. 

Shortly after Donaldo’s release, he went live on TikTok to share his ordeal. Visible on his face were heavy swelling and bruises, which he said occurred when he refused to give up his phone.

“If my mother dies, I will hold the military responsible,” he stated in his TikTok live after the incident. 

Donaldo’s experience in Buea reflects a long-standing pattern. For years, residents in Anglophone towns have reported routine phone searches by police and military personnel at checkpoints and along streets. 

Since the onset of the crisis, these unsanctioned searches have become a daily reality for many in the South West Region.

"My Phone is My Privacy"

During a recent vox-pop conducted in Buea by this  reporter for the Digitalise Youth campaign, sponsored by the Youth Democracy Cohort and the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), residents voiced strong opposition to unauthorized searches.

“They should not be allowed to because my phone is my privacy,” one young student of the University of Buea, explained. 

The student added: “By law, they are not permitted to search the phone of a citizen without their consent. Randomly, with no justification? No. That’s an invasion of privacy”. 

While residents acknowledged that law enforcement may require access during formal criminal investigations, they insisted on strict legal adherence. 

“They will have to do so if there is a warrant or if there is an emergency for that search,” another interviewee emphasised. 

"In our society today, there is an abuse of power: they meet you on the street, they punch you, and search your phone," the interviewee added. 

Private videos leaked online without consent

Threats to digital privacy now extend far beyond the streets.  In recent weeks, social media platforms have seen a sharp increase in leaked private videos and targeted online harassment.

The leaking of private, intimate videos involving Cameroonian footballer Rose Bella and influencer Ngon Eton triggered a massive public commentary across platforms like Facebook and TikTok. 

In a society where same-sex relationships remain criminalised, such leaks carry catastrophic social and legal consequences for victims.

Days later, another public outcry erupted after content creator Qing Emmy went live on TikTok, alleging that her ex-boyfriend, Machu FX, had been threatening to post her nudes without her consent. 

The breach triggered intense public debate over digital harassment, consent, and non-consensual pornography. 

Laws Exist, but where is the protection?

Ironically, on paper, Cameroon has clear laws designed to protect personal data and penalize cyber offenses. Law No. 2010/012 on Cybersecurity and Cybercriminality explicitly punishes unauthorized access to electronic devices, data breaches, and online harassment. 

More recently, Law No. 2024/017 on Personal Data Protection formally established the right of citizens to control their personal information and restricted unlawful phone searches.

At the continental level, Cameroon signed and ratified the Malabo Convention, the African Union treaty that obliges member States to protect individual privacy and punish identity theft and cyber violence.

Despite these frameworks, enforcement lags far behind. While the law explicitly penalizes unauthorised data access, security forces frequently operate outside these boundaries, rarely presenting judicial warrants before searching citizens' devices. 

At the same time, victims of online extortion and leaked explicit media face social stigma and institutional delays, often leaving them without practical legal remedies. 

Until enforcement agencies like ANTIC respect existing data laws and hold officers accountable, many citizens say they will continue to feel unsafe both on the street and on their phones.

By Fawoh Nancy: She is a freelance journalist 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3909 of Monday September 14, 2026