Civil Rights Defenders’ Head of Security and Innovation Comments on the Pegasus Leaks

Marcin de Kaminski, Security and Innovation Director at Civil Rights Defenders, appeared in the Swedish newspaper Arbetaren to comment on the leaks, their impact for journalists and activists, and the measures needed to be taken.
– It is clear that the problem has grown and that these technical solutions are part of a global monitoring apparatus, says Marcin de Kaminski.

– The Pegasus leak is interesting because it can give us clues as to who uses this tool and who has been designated as targets. At Civil Rights Defenders, we hope to understand the type of threats that are directed at the activists we work with, says Marcin de Kaminski.

The software is possible to buy for anyone with the right contacts and financial muscle, there are great risks that should make even Swedish actors review their digital security.

– Civil Rights Defenders has the security of human rights defenders as the main focus, but even here journalists who have important scoops in progress can be targeted – as well as people who work with socially critical tasks of various kinds.

In order to prevent these programmes from being used Marcin de Kaminski says:

– Companies providing these programmes must be held accountable for what their tools lead to. The state actors that purchase the tools should be held accountable and the authorities that handle, for example, export control issues should look into the business of these software companies. In the light of these revelations, which are similar to previous revelations from the same sector, it is clear that the problem has grown and that these technical solutions are part of a global monitoring apparatus.