Companies which are "enemies of the Internet". RSF denounces " digital mercenaries"
Paris: "My computer had been arrested before me": this statement a Syrian activist tortured by the regime of Bashar al-Assad illustrates the case of the five companies singled out this year for the first time by Reporters Without Borders because their technology is or has been used to monitor users.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Companies-which...
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), "on-line monitoring is a growing danger for journalists, bloggers, citizen journalists and human rights"
"At the time when we are talking about 180 netizens are held around the world for their online information. Often with the support of surveillance technologies," said Christophe Deloire , the Secretary General of RSF to AFP.
In its report in 2013 on "enemies of the Internet", published on Tuesday on the occasion of the World Day against Cyber Censorship, RWB focuses on "monitoring activity designed to control dissent and dissemination sensitive information, an activity exploited to strengthen the powers in place and prevent any potential destabilization. "
Gamma (UK) Trovicor (Germany), Hacking Team (Italy), Amesys (France) and Blue Coat (USA): the products of these 5 companies "enemy of the Internet", have been or are "used authorities for violations of human rights and freedom of information, "said RSF, whose report is available from the site on Tuesday surveillance.rsf.org
RSF publishes the only answer Hacking Team which states take "precautions (s') ensure that (its) software are not diverted."
These companies, who sold their products to authoritarian regimes, "could not ignore the fact that their products could be used to monitor journalists, dissidents and netizens."
Among the different technologies provided by these companies include monitoring equipment of the Internet as a whole and spyware (spyware).
Five countries in the firing line
These spyware are used to "spy on the contents of other disks, recover passwords, access the contents of electronic messages or eavesdrop on communication (VOIP phone via internet, ed)," says the report.
"In authoritarian regimes, this system is used to spy on journalists and their sources to eradicate freedom of information," said RSF which also points in its report five states enemies Internet.
It is Syria, China, Iran, Bahrain and Vietnam which, according to RSF countries "engaged in active surveillance, intrusive, actors of information for serious violations freedom of information and human rights ", especially through these technologies.
In the case of Syria, the RSF report unveils a new document: the tender published in 1999 by the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment (STE), which controls the majority of fixed connections to the establishment of the national network Internet in Syria.
"Í € reading this document, it is clear that the Internet was designed to Syrian integrate features extensive filtering and surveillance", denounced the association.
RSF returns to the emblematic case of Syrian activist Karim Taymour arrested and tortured by the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who had been present during his interrogation "a stack of more than 1000 pages detailing his conversations and electronic files exchanged on Skype. "
But, says RSF, democracies also "seem to gradually give the lure of the required monitoring and cyber security at any price." Evidenced, according to the association, "the proliferation of projects and proposals potentially draconian laws, allowing the implementation of a generalized surveillance".
The association calls for "the establishment of an export control technologies and monitoring equipment to countries that violate human rights."
"At the time when we are talking about 180 netizens are held around the world for their online information. Often with the support of surveillance technologies," said Christophe Deloire , the Secretary General of RSF to AFP.
In its report in 2013 on "enemies of the Internet", published on Tuesday on the occasion of the World Day against Cyber Censorship, RWB focuses on "monitoring activity designed to control dissent and dissemination sensitive information, an activity exploited to strengthen the powers in place and prevent any potential destabilization. "
Gamma (UK) Trovicor (Germany), Hacking Team (Italy), Amesys (France) and Blue Coat (USA): the products of these 5 companies "enemy of the Internet", have been or are "used authorities for violations of human rights and freedom of information, "said RSF, whose report is available from the site on Tuesday surveillance.rsf.org
RSF publishes the only answer Hacking Team which states take "precautions (s') ensure that (its) software are not diverted."
These companies, who sold their products to authoritarian regimes, "could not ignore the fact that their products could be used to monitor journalists, dissidents and netizens."
Among the different technologies provided by these companies include monitoring equipment of the Internet as a whole and spyware (spyware).
Five countries in the firing line
These spyware are used to "spy on the contents of other disks, recover passwords, access the contents of electronic messages or eavesdrop on communication (VOIP phone via internet, ed)," says the report.
"In authoritarian regimes, this system is used to spy on journalists and their sources to eradicate freedom of information," said RSF which also points in its report five states enemies Internet.
It is Syria, China, Iran, Bahrain and Vietnam which, according to RSF countries "engaged in active surveillance, intrusive, actors of information for serious violations freedom of information and human rights ", especially through these technologies.
In the case of Syria, the RSF report unveils a new document: the tender published in 1999 by the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment (STE), which controls the majority of fixed connections to the establishment of the national network Internet in Syria.
"Í € reading this document, it is clear that the Internet was designed to Syrian integrate features extensive filtering and surveillance", denounced the association.
RSF returns to the emblematic case of Syrian activist Karim Taymour arrested and tortured by the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who had been present during his interrogation "a stack of more than 1000 pages detailing his conversations and electronic files exchanged on Skype. "
But, says RSF, democracies also "seem to gradually give the lure of the required monitoring and cyber security at any price." Evidenced, according to the association, "the proliferation of projects and proposals potentially draconian laws, allowing the implementation of a generalized surveillance".
The association calls for "the establishment of an export control technologies and monitoring equipment to countries that violate human rights."
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Companies-which...