Privacy International

Gamma International, which has been criticised for exporting dangerous surveillance technologies from the UK to repressive regimes, is reportedly now attempting to export its products out of Switzerland.

The international market in communications surveillance, monitoring and interception technology is dangerously under-regulated. There is very little at the moment stopping companies on show at the DSEI arms fair in the UK from selling surveillance equipment to repressive regimes.

Given the revelations about the UK domestic mass surveillance programs, the country’s once desperate cries for more crime- and terrorism-fighting tools now look like nothing more than attempts to illegitimately spy more on all citizens.

Wikileaks has released SpyFiles 3, which further reveals the extent to which Western corporations are equipping repressive regimes and non-democratic governments to target activists, journalists, and human rights defenders.

Documents leaked by Edward Snowden have shed light on what information governments actually collect about us. The usefulness of transparency reports, such as the one issued by Facebook, therefore hinges on governments abiding by the rule of law.

Despite the promises that big and open data can revolutionise innovation, education, health care and infrastructure, the potential risks of data – exclusion, discrimination, identification, persecution, and violations of the right to privacy – bear serious consideration.

Some of the world’s largest telecommunication companies are facing legal action for colluding with British spy agency GCHQ and failing to protect customers’ privacy rights, Privacy International said in a letter issued to the cable providers.

Over 150 IFEX members and partners of ARTICLE 19 appealed to US President Obama to drop charges against whistleblower Edward Snowden, update the Whistleblower Protection Act and pass a media shield law.