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Privacy may seem like an abstract concept, but for many people and communities, government and corporate use of digital technologies can seriously compromise their privacy and have grave consequences for their safety. Whether it’s migrants crossing borders or environmentalists protesting against oil companies, at the heart of all of our campaigns is a focus on empowering individuals in the face of state and corporate power.

If we don’t intervene, people will lose control over their data and identities, and will become pawns in a bigger ecosystem in which they have no say, no agency and no power. We call for new safeguards, reductions in risks especially to targeted and marginalised communities, and meaningful rights of redress.

We expose the over-reaching surveillance regimes of governments and statutory bodies, as well as how they outsource and work closely with the corporate sector in both developing surveillance capabilities and sharing our data. We litigate and make complaints to regulators and data protection authorities, to hold state bodies to account.

Whether 'big tech’ companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook, or surveillance tech firms and data brokers that you have never heard of, PI examines how their practices impacts on your privacy and autonomy. Whether they are exploring sharing your data without your consent, or developing ever more intrusive surveillance technologies, we campaign for strong regulation and better protections for the public.

On 30 September 2019, Privacy International submitted a statement to the German Constitutional Court in a case concerning the government use of spyware, such as state trojans, in the context of criminal investigations. 

PI is campaigning for 1) platforms to give all users heightened ad transparency and 2) for transparency into targeting and funding of ads to be meaningful.

Powerful countries encourage and enable other governments to deploy advanced surveillance capabilities without adequate safeguards.

Our investigation into mental health websites, with dismaying findings.

Privacy International filed complaints with multiple data protection regulators to investigate potential GDPR infringements by data brokers, ad-tech companies and credit referencing agencies. 

The use of data and new technologies are driving a revolution in immigration enforcement, and affected people are going to be at greater risk.