Shocking spyware attacks have been attempted against civil society, journalists, politicians and academics in the European Union (EU), USA and Asia, according to a major new investigation by Amnesty International. Among the targets of Predator spyware are United Nations (UN) officials, a Senator and Congressman in the USA and even the Presidents of the European Parliament and Taiwan.  The investigation is part of the ‘Predator Files’ project, in partnership with the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) and backed by additional in-depth reporting by Mediapart and Der Spiegel.

On 5 October 2023, a major global investigation – the “Predator Files” – was published exposing the proliferation of surveillance technologies around the world and the failure of governments and the European Union (EU) to properly regulate the industry. The Security Lab at Amnesty International is a technical partner in the “Predator Files”, a project coordinated by the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) media network into the Intellexa alliance, the makers and marketers of the Predator spyware. As part of this collaboration, the Security Lab has reviewed technical documentation, marketing material and other records obtained by Der Spiegel and Mediapart – who are part of EIC – which shed light on the ecosystem of surveillance products offered by the Intellexa alliance.

A new investigation into the global surveillance crisis by the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) media network, with technical assistance from Amnesty International’s Security Lab, today begins to reveal the shocking truth about how far the industry’s tentacles have spread and how ineffective EU regulation has been in controlling it. 

It has been both a pleasure and a challenge for us at the Security Lab to translate practical experience and learning on digital forensics into a succinct curriculum. As the spyware crisis becomes more acute, training human rights defenders to do digital forensics is critically important for the human rights movement worldwide. As part of our response to this crisis, we’ve decided to embark on the Digital Forensics Fellowship, Round 2! 

This blog post was written as part of the Digital Forensics Fellowship by one of the 2022-2023 Fellows. 

This blog post was written as part of the Digital Forensics Fellowship by one of the 2022-2023 Fellows. 

The Security Lab at Amnesty International works to investigate and document rights abuses linked to spyware and surveillance technology alongside other digital threats facing civil society. If you have relevant information about surveillance abuses enabled by technology you can contact us securely below.

For many of us, that unsettling feeling of being watched is all too real. After all, we live in a world of mass surveillance, from facial recognition to online tracking – governments and technology companies are harvesting intimate information about billions of people. Targeted surveillance is slightly different. It’s the use of technology to spy on specific people.   Targeted surveillance can include the use of hidden cameras, recording devices, or being physically followed or monitored. Here at Amnesty’s Security Lab, we focus on uncovering targeted digital surveillance including spyware, phishing and other digital attack techniques.   Governments across the world are buying and allowing the sale of advanced highly invasive spyware that can compromise anybody’s digital devices and monitor their activity. These tools are made and sold by private companies who are profiting from human right abuses.   Governments and companies say that these surveillance tools are necessary to target ‘criminals and terrorists’. But in reality, scores of human rights defenders, journalists and many others – including Amnesty International staff members – have instead been unlawfully targeted with spyware.  

The Security Lab offers digital forensics support to at risk human rights defenders and civil society organisations. If you have serious concerns that you or your devices may be targeted by spyware or other digital threats, you can contact us.

The Security Lab develops and maintains a range of digital and mobile forensics tools to empower forensic experts and civil society technologists to identify evidence of unlawful surveillance or other digital attacks targeting journalists and human rights defenders. These tools, such as the Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT) and AndroidQF continue to be developed by the Security Lab and the community.

Responding to today’s vote by Members of the European Parliament urging the European Union (EU) to more tightly regulate the use, manufacture and trade of spyware, Rebecca White, campaigner at Amnesty Tech’s Disrupting Surveillance Team, said: