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Spyware
New York, October 13, 2022 - The development of high-tech
"zero-click" spyware - the kind that takes over
phones without a user's knowledge - has had a
chilling impact on press freedom, finds a new special report released
today by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The
report, Zero-Click Spyware: Enemy of the Press
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, found the mere threat of surveillance by spyware severely hinders
journalists' ability to do their jobs, and its use puts them at
risk of increased harassment, violence, and sometimes precedes
imprisonment. (Illustration by Walid Haddad)
Sophisticated surveillance technology, such as NSO Group's
Pegasus software, goes undetected as it infiltrates the devices of
journalists, allowing the perpetrators to access phone calls, photos,
emails, and messages - even ones sent via encrypted services
like Signal.
CPJ's new report includes first-hand accounts from
journalists on how the disclosures have affected their work since they
were named as possible surveillance targets in the revelatory 2021
Pegasus Project report. In reports from Hungary to India, Mexico to
Morocco, journalists told CPJ that the simple prospect of spyware made
it harder to conduct meetings, interact with sources, report on
sensitive topics, and communicate with loved ones.
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"Spyware technology poses an existential challenge for
journalism. This insidious technology compromises editorial planning
and can dissuade journalists from reporting on critical stories or
discourage would-be sources from coming forward, carving a hole into
the very fabric of journalism - the ability to report freely and
safely," said Gypsy Guillén Kaiser, CPJ's advocacy
and communications director. "Spyware brings another layer of
risk to reporting that extends to the personal sphere when
journalists' families and associates are also targeted.
Legislators everywhere must swiftly act to curtail the threats posed
by this technology and hold perpetrators of illicit spyware use to
account."
The spyware industry's lack of regulation makes it nearly
impossible to prevent or even discourage the abuse of the technology
and provides limited options for accountability or justice. In its
report, CPJ puts forward a list of comprehensive policy
recommendations to combat the arbitrary or unlawful deployment of
spyware, including an immediate moratorium on the development, sale,
and use of spyware technologies until governments have enacted robust
regulations in line with international human rights standards.
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CPJ calls for export control listings and targeted sanctions to be
enacted against those who have spied on journalists and the barring of
all government agencies known to attack press freedom or lacking
regulatory resources to purchase spyware. Critically, all governments
should join the Export Controls and Human Rights Initiative to build
consensus for global regulatory action.
The report also includes an opinion column by David Kaye, a former
U.N. Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right
to freedom of opinion and expression, on what he recommends global
leaders should do to stop the abuse of spyware.
The overview of the report is also available in Spanish and the
country case studies in their respective languages.
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Committee to Protect Journalists
P.O. Box 2675
New York, NY 10108 - United States
