Collapse of Morocco’s Digital State Narrative: Accusations of Cyber Surveillance Politics Amid Child Protection Failures
BY Dr. Hana Saada
ALGIERS – In parallel with official celebrations of Morocco’s “Digital Morocco 2030” strategy and its projected image as a regional digital leader, critics are drawing attention to what they describe as a darker, unaddressed reality unfolding within the country’s expanding online ecosystem.
In this context, the statement issued by the child protection organisation “Hands off my child” has reignited public debate, not merely as an appeal for vigilance, but as an indictment of what it portrays as systemic gaps in safeguarding minors in digital spaces increasingly exposed to exploitation risks.
Critics argue that a stark institutional paradox has emerged: while security capabilities are deployed with precision in monitoring political dissent, tracking activists, and restricting access to critical content, comparable urgency is perceived as lacking in addressing online child exploitation networks operating through social media platforms and messaging applications.
This perceived asymmetry has fuelled public questioning over national security priorities, with commentators asking whether state protection begins with safeguarding citizens’ privacy or with preserving political stability.
Beyond institutional critique, the organisation’s warnings also point to broader socio-economic conditions that may be contributing to vulnerability among minors. It highlights the role of poverty, school dropout rates, and household fragility in increasing exposure to exploitation networks, particularly in marginalised urban and rural areas.
Observers note that these dynamics reflect a wider structural issue in which socio-economic inequality intersects with emerging forms of digital crime, creating conditions that criminal networks can exploit.
At the same time, questions are being raised regarding accountability and enforcement, with critics noting that insufficient prosecution and weak deterrent mechanisms may be contributing to a sense of impunity surrounding such crimes.
The debate has also extended to the role of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. While official discourse highlights Morocco’s ambition to advance in AI and digital transformation, critics argue that these tools should be prioritised for detecting and dismantling online exploitation networks rather than focusing primarily on surveillance of political activity.
In this context, the protection organisation calls for a recalibration of national digital policy priorities, urging a shift from political monitoring to proactive safeguarding mechanisms aimed at protecting minors in cyberspace.
It further stresses that digital protection cannot be separated from social protection, arguing that family stability and economic resilience remain central pillars in preventing vulnerability to exploitation.
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