News and Analysis

N&A, Long Reads, Press Release

News & Analysis

What security means for NGOs (and why we do it badly)

There are three good reasons why security is so hard for NGOs. First, we are afraid to speak about meaningful security. Second, we focus on the wrong areas of security and in turn spend money and prioritise the wrong things. Third, we struggle to separate the world we want from the worlds we build

News & Analysis

Universally Unpopular: Pakistan’s ‘Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill’ passes National Assembly

Early on Wednesday morning the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill was approved by Pakistan’s National Assembly. The Bill, which is almost universally acknowledged as “controversial” had been criticised by opposition members, industry and civil society at numerous stages. Civil society

Press release

Documents Obtained By Privacy International Show That UK Intelligence Agencies May Analyse Our Facebook And Twitter Accounts

Key points Privacy International has obtained previously unseen government documents that reveal British spy agency GCHQ collects social media information on potentially millions of people. GCHQ collected and accesses this information by gaining access to private companies’ databases. Letters

Press release

GCHQ Makes Brazen Attempt To Undermine The Independence Of Its New Regulator

In today’s latest hearing in our ongoing legal challenge against the collection of massive troves of our personal data by the UK intelligence agencies, shocking new evidence has emerged about GCHQ’s attempts to yet again avoid proper independent scrutiny for its deeply intrusive surveillance

Long Read

The “Backdoor Search Loophole” Isn’t Our Only Problem: The Dangers of Global Information Sharing

This piece was originally published in Just Security in November 2017. The upcoming expiration of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) has launched a fresh wave of debate on how the statute’s “ backdoor search loophole” allows the U.S. government to access Americans’

News & Analysis

Our History With Security and What We Do Now

This is the story of Privacy International's journey to building more secure services. Data collection and administering sensitive data on the open web is risky, and PI had to learn this the hard way. Many companies say that the privacy of their audiences is their top priority. But do they mean it

News & Analysis

Recap: 10 Human Rights Organisations vs. The United Kingdom

For further information on timeline and case history, read this briefing. Arguments The argument were based on the written submissions of the parties. The oral statements summarised key points in these submissions. The submissions can be found on PI’s website under Legal Action. In terms of today’s

News & Analysis

In Argentina, It’s Not Too Late To Make Things Right Regarding Privacy

We are calling on the government of Argentina to take the necessary steps to ensure they comply with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including Article 17, in relation to ensuring independent oversight, transparency and accountability of the current or future organs involved in surveillance.

News & Analysis

National Security Certificates: Broad exemptions from the data protection regime will have consequences for our data protection rights and for adequacy

This piece was written by PI Legal Office Millie Graham Wood. “The UK is leading the way on modern data protection laws and we have worked closely with our EU partners to develop world leading data protection standards” [1] according to, Matt Hancock MP, Minister of State for Digital. However, the

Press release

Landmark UK Surveillance Case To Be Heard In Strasbourg Tomorrow

The European Court of Human Rights will hear a landmark case on surveillance tomorrow (7 November) as part of a challenge to the lawfulness of the UK’s surveillance laws and its intelligence agencies’ mass surveillance practices. See the attached briefing for case background and historical

Long Read

Gobierno Paraguayo Veta Ley De Registro Biométrico De Usuarios Móviles

Photo Credit: AU UN IST / Tobin Jones El 25 de septiembre 2017, el presidente de Paraguay objetó la totalidad de una propuesta de Ley denominada “ que regula la activación del servicio de telefonía móvil”, disponiendo la creación de un registro de huellas dactilares de todos los usuarios de

Press release

Privacy International Files Lawsuit To Compel Disclosure Of Secretive 1946 Surveillance Agreement

Privacy International has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to compel disclosure of records relating to a 1946 surveillance agreement between the US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, known as the “Five Eyes alliance”.* We are represented by Yale Law School’s Media Freedom and Information Access

News & Analysis

Smart Cities: better for whom?

October 31st 2017 will mark the 3rd World Cities Day (we will forgive if you did not know that), with the general theme “ Better City, Better Life.” On this date, PI will be launching its latest report “Smart Cities: Utopian Vision, Dystopian Reality”. This is an opportunity for us to ask: who

News & Analysis

Most cities are already ‘smart’ – just, not for the people who live in them

Do you live in a smart city? Chances are you do. But it is probably just not smart for you.

Long Read

Why we are so concerned about Government Hacking for Surveillance

Government hacking is unlike any other form of existing surveillance technique. Hacking is an attempt to understand a system better than it understands itself, and then nudging it to do what the hacker wants. Fundamentally speaking, hacking is therefore about causing technologies to act in a manner

News & Analysis

Biometrics knows no borders, it must be subject to extreme vetting

Biometrics Know No Borders, They Must Be Subject To Extreme Vetting

From unlocking a smartphone or getting through an airport, the use of an iris, fingerprint, or your face for identity verification is already widespread, and the market for it is set to rocket. While the technology is not new, its capability and uses are. As people, biometrics offers us much, but