Reports

Reports, Long Reads, Country Reports

Long Read
This piece originally appeared here . On both sides of the Atlantic, we are witnessing the dramatic expansion of government hacking powers. In the United States, a proposed amendment to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure would permit the government to obtain a warrant, in certain
Long Read
1984: A broad law, a broad power and a whole lot of secrecy In the wake of litigation brought by Privacy International (‘PI’) and as the Government prepared to introduce the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill (‘IP Bill’) in November 2015, there was a cascade of ‘avowals’- admissions that the
Long Read
Written by: Maria del Pilar Saenz With a raft of recent scandals involving proven and possible abuses of surveillance systems by state institutions, there is a clear need to generate policy and practice in Colombia that promotes respect for human rights. It is necessary to keep this in mind as an
Long Read
This guest piece was written by Jessamine Pacis of the Foundation for Media Alternatives. It does not necessarily reflect the views or position of Privacy International. Introduction With a history immersed in years of colonialism and tainted by martial law, Philippine society is no stranger to
Long Read
Written by: Centre for Internet and Society This guest piece was written by representatives of the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS). It does not necessarily reflect the views or position of Privacy International. Introduction As part of the State of the Surveillance project, CIS conducted a
Long Read
“This is my personal opinion,” concedes Branko, a taxi driver in Skopje, the Republic of Macedonia's capital. “It was done by America to stop Putin building his gas pipe line through Macedonia.” “This is just politics,” he advises, skeptically. It's a common reaction to the wiretapping scandal in
Long Read
The recent back and forth between Apple and the FBI over security measures in place to prevent unauthorised access to data has highlighted the gulf in understanding of security between technologists and law enforcement. Modern debates around security do not just involve the state and the individual
Report
Privacy International notes New Zealand’s written replies to the list of issues prior to reporting in relation to the New Zealand’s laws, policies and practices related to interception of personal communications. A review of the security and intelligence legislation is currently underway in
Report
The right to privacy is a qualified right. Gender is not and cannot be its qualification. For this year’s International Women’s Day, the Privacy International Network is sharing some of its successes as well as the challenges and opportunities we face in at the intersection of gender issues and the
Long Read
Today, Privacy International is publishing the result of a global effort to benchmark surveillance policies and practices in the countries that are part of the Privacy International Network. We’re calling it the ‘State of Surveillance’. We designed a survey of questions based on some key issues
Report
Privacy International's new investigation (available in English and in Arabic), 'THE PRESIDENT'S MEN? Inside the Technical Research Department', sheds light on the Technical Research Department, a secret unit of the Egyptian intelligence infrastructure that has purchased surveillance equipment from
Long Read
It was summer 2014 when we first came across the acronym TRD while sifting through documents from the company Nokia Siemens Networks (Nokia) that had been leaked to Privacy International. The acronym was explained in the documents: it stood for Technical Research Department. What we learned from the
Long Read
The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (“IPT”) today held that GCHQ hacking of computers, mobile devices and networks is lawful, wherever it occurs around the world. We are disappointed that the IPT has not upheld our complaint and we will be challenging its findings. Our complaint is the first UK legal
Long Read
Written by Eva Blum-Dumontet A recent case of lèse-majesté in Thailand (speaking ill of the monarchy) is a worrying example of how Western companies do not just work with governments that fall short of international human rights standards, but can actually facilitate abuses of human rights. Our
Report
In response to the Government publishing proposed new surveillance powers in November 2015, Privacy International submitted this highly detailed analysis to the Science and Technology Committee on the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill in November 2015. Our report proposes significant changes across
Report
Privacy International's new report, For God and My President: State Surveillance in Uganda, exposes the secret surveillance operation and the government's attempts to buy further powerful surveillance tools, including a national communications monitoring centre and intrusion malware, in the absence