The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) joined eight human rights and digital rights organizations on October 15 to provide comments to the U.S. Commerce Department in response to its proposed rules to strengthen surveillance technology export regulations.
The joint comments assess and offer recommendations for the Commerce Department to help curb the proliferation of such surveillance technologies.
The comments also note the U.S. government’s use of export controls to protect human rights, including through the Joint Statement on Efforts to Counter the Proliferation and Misuse of Commercial Spyware and the Export Controls and Human Rights Initiative.
While these actions are welcome, the United States and other governments around the world must do more to curb the abuse of surveillance technologies.
CPJ has repeatedly documented the use of surveillance technology, including spyware, to undermine press freedom and journalist safety around the world.
Read the joint comments here.