NCA Ethiopia Hacking
Privacy International submitted a dossier to the National Crime Agency requesting the investigation of the interception of an Ethiopian activist's communications
Privacy International made a submission to the National Crime Agency (NCA) after it emerged that the computer of UK-based Ethiopian activist Tadesse Kersmo had been hacked and infected with FinSpy, a commercially-developed surveillance software.
In the dossier submitted to the NCA, Privacy International relied on section 1 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 200 (RIPA) which makes the unlawful interception of someone's communications an offence. Furthermore, Privacy International argued that the development of FinSpy and its export assisted the unlawful interception of Tadesse’s communications, and qualified as an offence itself under the Accessories and Abettors Act 1861 and/or the Serious Crimes Act 2007.