In March 2014, Human Rights Watch published They Know Everything We Do, a detailed investigation into telecom and internet surveillance in Ethiopia. The report examined how state control of the then-monopoly telecom operator, combined with imported monitoring technology, enabled tracking of opposition figures, journalists, and diaspora activists.
HRW documented phone tapping, malware targeting dissidents abroad, and the chilling effect of known surveillance on free expression. The findings became a long-running reference point in debates about digital rights, lawful interception, and the risks of centralized telecom control.
Although Ethiopia’s telecom market and politics have changed since 2014—including partial liberalization and new operators—the report remains historically important for anyone researching internet freedom, cybersecurity policy, or press conditions in the Horn of Africa.
