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Spyware and Digital Surveillance Targeting Women in Uganda

This report by Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) with support from the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) explores the growing threat of spyware and digital surveillance targeting women in Uganda, particularly journalists, human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, and women leaders. Based on interviews and testimonies from women in public-facing roles, the study documents how digital surveillance is used to intimidate, silence, and restrict women’s participation in civic and political life.

The findings reveal that surveillance in Uganda is deeply gendered. Women are not only subjected to monitoring of their communications and online activities, but also to sexualised harassment, reputational attacks, threats against family members, and other forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence. These harms extend beyond the digital sphere, affecting mental health, professional work, personal safety, and democratic engagement.

The report highlights widespread distrust in institutional responses and calls for stronger accountability, gender-responsive digital security measures, accessible psychosocial and legal support, and sustained advocacy for women’s digital rights. It serves as both a documentation of lived experiences and a roadmap for policymakers, civil society, technology actors, and human rights defenders working to build safer and more inclusive digital spaces in Uganda.