Policy Observatory

Germany is a major exporter of surveillance technologies and over the past decade the German government has provided German companies with licenses to export surveillance technologies to at least 25 countries, many of which have long histories of human rights abuse. The British-German company Gamma International, is the maker of the FinFisher surveillance toolset. Users typically end up downloading FinFisher unknowingly, just by clicking on a seemingly innocent link or email attachment. Once installed, the tool allows the user to access all stored information and monitor even encrypted communication. Keystrokes can be logged, Skype conversations recorded and cameras and microphones can be activated remotely.