Europe clamps down on cybersurveillance exports, pushes human rights focus

The European Union has tightened up export rules on cybersurveillance tools in an effort to limit their spread to repressive regimes. The new rules covering “dual use” products and services – those that can be used in both a civilian and military context – were announced this week and follow years of negotiations. They were …

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Google cybersurveillance?

So will I have to leave my Pixel phone at home when I visit Europe once travel restrictions are discontinued? I can get my old Nokia battery replaced, so it's not a problem.

[Neil Barnes]

This sounds an awful lot like the End User Certificates

for military equipment: you can't sell it to *them* because they're naughty and unkind, but you can sell it to him, who will sell it to her, who will sell it through various tortuous routes to *them* sooner or later.

[Mike 137]

"Europe clamps down ..."

Actually, it doesn't "clamp down", it exposes to scrutiny. This is not about control of supply, it's about transparency:

"We will now have EU-wide transparency on the export of cyber surveillance and will control the export of biometric surveillance. Authoritarian regimes will no longer be able to secretly get their hands on European cyber-surveillance." Markéta Gregorová (Greens/EFA, CZ), rapporteur

It's an excellent move in principle, as secret deals are all too common, but it doesn't control the proliferation or abusive use of snooping tools.

[IGotOut]

So the UK...

will carry on.

Saudi Arabia still needs it arms and we need the cash.

[Strahd Ivarius]

Re: So the UK...

Same for France...

[Anonymous Coward]

Hold my beer!

Bernd Lange: "Economic interests must not take precedence over human rights.”

NSO-Group: "Hold my beer!"

[Pascal Monett]

"the rules will only apply to countries within the [EU]"

Yeah, well, you have to start somewhere.

Now, is China on the bad list ? Because it should be.