[2019] [opinion] Private Companies, Government Surveillance Software and Human Rights
[2019] [opinion] Private Companies, Government Surveillance Software and Human Rights
It's old news that governments around the world are misusing private company-sold digital surveillance software track and target people for human rights abuses. Recently, Amnesty International reported finding that two prominent Moroccan human rights defenders had been targeted using Israeli-based.....
Some, including Citizen Lab and UN Special Rapporteur David Kaye, have suggested that a moratorium on the sale, transfer, and use of this kind of surveillance software should go into effect until a robust human-rights-compliant regulatory framework is in place. “Companies appear to be operating without constraint,” says Kaye. “It is critical that companies themselves adhere to their human rights responsibilities, including by disclosing their transfers, conducting rigorous human rights impact assessments, and avoiding transfers to States unable to guarantee their compliance with their human rights obligations.”