At the third Summit for Democracy held in Seoul, South Korea, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced a significant expansion of the coalition dedicated to countering the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware.
Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Poland, and the Republic of Korea have joined the Joint Statement on Efforts to Counter the Proliferation and Misuse of Commercial Spyware, originally launched by an inaugural group of 11 like-minded countries at the second Summit for Democracy.
The Joint Statement emphasizes the collective recognition of the threat posed by the misuse of commercial spyware and commits participating countries to establish robust guardrails within their domestic systems to counter its proliferation and misuse.
This initiative underscores a shared commitment to safeguarding privacy and protecting against human rights abuses facilitated by sophisticated surveillance technology.
The flagship side event of the United States at the summit, titled “Galvanising Multi-Stakeholder Action to Combat the Misuse of Commercial Spyware,” showcased the newly joined countries and provided a platform for victims of commercial spyware to share their experiences with high-level participants from around the world.
The event also featured insights from an investigative journalist, representatives from a technology company, and members of the investor community.
On the second day of the summit, the Joint Statement countries will convene in person for the first time, offering an opportunity to exchange best practices, lessons learned, and strategies to effectively counter the misuse of commercial spyware.
The United States has taken significant steps over the past year to address the threat posed by commercial spyware, including:
- signing an Executive Order Prohibiting the Use of Commercial Spyware that Poses Risks to National Security, restricting U.S. Government use of such technology.
- releasing Guiding Principles on Government Use of Surveillance Technologies in collaboration with over 45 countries to ensure responsible use of surveillance technology while upholding democratic values and human rights.
- Convening dialogues with the investor community to promote responsible investment in domains with national security implications, including commercial spyware.
- imposing financial sanctions on entities and individuals involved in commercial spyware misuse.
- participating in international initiatives such as the Pall-Mall Process to address the irresponsible use of commercial cyber intrusion tools.
- implementing visa bans for individuals involved in or profiting from the misuse of commercial spyware.
- Collaborating with other countries to issue joint statements on heightened risks associated with surveillance technologies and imposing export controls on commercial spyware entities engaged in cyber exploitation.