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.

A group of experts will develop a catalogue of surveillance technologies purchased by Polish public institutions and list of companies delivering them. The experts will also analyse existing legal framework and verify whether Polish public institutions acted lawfully or not. Finally, there will be a comparison between the results of this research and the reports documenting security-industrial complex in other countries.