On 10 June, SIPRI organized a webinar on the proliferation and misuse of spyware and other cyber-surveillance tools.
The virtual meeting brought together over 60 leading experts and stakeholders from government, industry and civil society.
Underscoring the increasing sophistication of spyware and other cyber-surveillance tools and the risks linked to their trade, participants examined measures taken to combat their proliferation and misuse, focusing on export control and sanctions. Participants explored ways to leverage and improve existing frameworks and identified prospects for future action.
Current research efforts
The webinar presented the preliminary findings of a SIPRI study on the role of export controls and sanctions in tackling the proliferation and misuse of spyware and other cyber-surveillance tools.
Both the webinar and the study are part of a project focused on improving the implementation of export controls related to surveillance technologies, which the SIPRI Dual-use and Arms Trade Control Programme is conducting with support from the Open Society Foundations.
For editors
The proliferation and misuse of spyware and other cyber-surveillance tools is a growing challenge for the international community. Their increasing sophistication and availability pose threats both to human rights and national security. Since 2012, export controls and sanctions have been adopted at the national, regional and multilateral levels to improve oversight, transparency and restraint in the trade in spyware and cyber-surveillance tools.