Nigeria, July 17 -- Acclaimed Nigerian writer, Wole Soyinka, once said, "Books and all forms of writing have always been objects of terror to those who seek to suppress truth."

That terror persists today through the censorship and intimidation that result from surveillance.

Across Africa and around the world, journalists are being monitored - not to protect public safety, but to shield political power and suppress uncomfortable truths.

Surveillance is dangerous because privacy is essential to press freedom. Journalism depends on private communication, especially in an era of increasing digital intrusion. Undermining such privacy doesn't just impact individuals - it weakens and harms societies.

In Nigeria, police have repeatedly access...