March 29, 2024 at 04:13PM The international body needs to improve its efforts in safeguarding information on dissidents and activists collected by peacekeeping operations, especially in Central Africa. Based on the meeting notes, it is clear that there is concern about the international body’s insufficient efforts to protect information gathered on dissidents and activists by … Read more
March 26, 2024 at 12:48PM A British court ruled that Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless the U.S. guarantees no death penalty. Assange remains in London’s Belmarsh Prison as the legal saga continues. High Court judges granted a new appeal if the U.S. does not provide further assurances … Read more
March 5, 2024 at 04:00PM The Treasury Department sanctioned a Greece-based spyware company, Intellexa Consortium, and its associated entities for developing and distributing spyware tools known as Predator targeting U.S. government officials and journalists. The sanctions mark the first time for misusing spyware, and the Commerce Department had previously blacklisted these entities. The spyware allows … Read more
March 1, 2024 at 04:43PM Israel-based NSO Group has been ordered by a California federal judge to share the source code for its Pegasus spyware with Meta’s WhatsApp due to a 2019 lawsuit for alleged spying on 1,400 users. The ruling covers the period from April 2018 to May 2020 and represents a legal setback … Read more
February 15, 2024 at 02:31AM The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that requiring weakened encryption and extensive data retention violates the European Convention on Human Rights. The decision may impact European data surveillance legislation, including Chat Control. This ruling has significant implications for privacy and law enforcement practices, potentially affecting similar laws in … Read more
December 13, 2023 at 01:07AM A Delhi-based think tank’s report argues that cybercrime groups and spyware vendors like Lazarus Group and NSO should be categorized as cyber mercenaries and face an international response. The usage of information technology in operations justifies this term. Concerns about the growth of this market and the need for legislation … Read more
December 8, 2023 at 11:29AM Kenya has halted the launch of its digital identification system, “Maisha Namba,” due to the lack of data-protection impact assessments. The High Court suspended the system, concerned with privacy rights violations and the unlawful collection of biometric and biographical data. The system is scheduled to be reviewed by the High … Read more
December 8, 2023 at 10:34AM Human trafficking for cyber scam call centers is expanding globally, beyond southeast Asia. Interpol’s Operation Storm Makers II revealed evidence of trafficking and abuse in South America and the Middle East. Victims are lured through fake job ads and subjected to various forms of abuse. The recent operation led to … Read more
November 14, 2023 at 01:04AM US-based research group IPVM has accused Chinese video surveillance equipment company Hikvision of developing technology to identify Muslim students fasting during Ramadan, based on their dining records. Hikvision confirmed winning the tender for the project but denied its products can analyze video streams to identify ethnic minorities. IPVM claims the … Read more
November 10, 2023 at 09:36AM France and Britain are advocating for increased global regulation of surveillance software following recent spyware scandals involving Pegasus and Predator. They warned against the unregulated development and use of surveillance technology, citing concerns about security, stability, and human rights. The legal availability of commercial spyware is becoming a growing risk, … Read more