Curtailing Misuse of Spyware and Surveillance Technologies
This publicly available tool will facilitate civil society efforts to submit timely information on the malicious use of surveillance technologies to relevant officials at the US Commerce Department, State Department, and Treasury Department, enabling them to pursue accountability measures. Read more in our Policy Alert
The US government has powerful tools at its disposal to take action against companies and executives for supplying technologies, such as commercial spyware, to regimes that use them to commit human rights violations and transnational repression. These technologies have also been exploited to surveil US government personnel and allied government officials, posing a grave threat to national security and sovereignty.
To address the problem, the US Commerce Department has added specified surveillance technology firms to its Entity List; the State Department has issued visa restrictions for individuals who misused or financially benefited from the misuse of surveillance technologies (and their families); and the Treasury Department has imposed financial sanctions on the enablers of the Intellexa commercial spyware consortium. The actions helped combat the proliferation and abuse of surveillance technologies, and they were largely made possible by civil society reporting.
The template below is intended to enhance collaboration on this topic between US government officials and civil society organizations from around the world. It outlines the information that US government decision-makers in the Commerce Department, State Department, and Treasury Department require from external stakeholders to pursue accountability measures. With further support, it could be adapted to meet the needs of other democratic governments that seek to curb the misuse of commercial spyware.
