EU states sold spyware to authoritarian regimes, Human Rights Watch finds

A Human Rights Watch report has revealed that Bulgaria and Poland, both members of the European Union, exported surveillance tools to governments with documented records of human rights abuses. The report, published on July 10, 2024, details how these EU states licensed spyware to regimes such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, among others. The findings highlight a gap in EU export controls, which are meant to prevent the sale of technology that could be used for repression. Human Rights Watch called for stricter enforcement and transparency in the licensing of surveillance technology exports. The report also noted that other EU countries, including Germany and France, have exported similar tools in the past. The watchdog urged the EU to adopt a common standard for regulating the trade in spyware.