There is an urgent need for a moratorium on sale of spy tech
Al JazeeraIn July 2021, an investigation by a consortium of media outlets revealed that several governments used phone malware supplied by an Israeli firm to spy on journalists, activists, opposition figures and heads of state. The group’s first and so far only transparency report released in June 2021 states: “The Defense Export Controls Agency of the Israeli Ministry of Defense strictly restricts the licensing of some of our products and it conducts its own analysis of potential customers from a human rights perspective.” It is concerning that the government of Israel, which itself stands accused of myriad human rights law violations, appears to be the sole authority responsible for deciding which governments can be trusted to use this powerful surveillance tool. Surveillance and international human rights law The use of surveillance technology like Pegasus by governments to spy on private citizens undermine the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – the two main instruments that guide the laws related to human rights in all UN member states. This is why domestic laws governing the use of surveillance technology by state and private actors need to be centred around international human rights law. Hence, it is about time that a global moratorium on the sale of surveillance technology is put in place, until domestic and international laws and regulations are adopted by governments that govern export control, licensing of technology, and human rights impact assessments centred around international human rights framework and civilian oversight of government use of technology.