(BRUSSELS) — As the new European Commission prepares to take office, the Centre for Democracy and Technology Europe (CDT Europe) announces today the official launch of a Spyware Coordination Group, composed of 15 leading civil society and journalists organisations. This initiative aims to combat the growing misuse of spyware technologies in the EU and advocate for stronger regulations to protect fundamental rights and ensure respect for the rule of law.
The Spyware Coordination Group, spearheaded by CDT Europe, brings together a diverse network of organisations from all over the EU focused on safeguarding democracy, transparency, and accountability in relation to spyware technologies.
EU institutions have so far failed to enact meaningful reforms to address the issue and the Coordination Group is stepping in to fill this critical gap, calling for urgent policy reforms to ensure spyware technologies are subject to robust safeguards, strict oversight and accountability measures.
Silvia Lorenzo Pérez, Director of Security and Surveillance at CDT Europe, highlighted the urgency of addressing this issue:
“The failure to act against spyware abuse risks eroding the very core of democratic values in the EU. This new mandate presents a crucial opportunity to implement comprehensive, rights-respecting regulations. European civil society is coming together and getting organised around a common objective: to call on the new EU Institutions to take immediate action against the abuse and proliferation of spyware and to hold national governments to account in their commitments to EU values.”
The launch of this group marks a critical step forward in the fight against spyware. United in their commitment to protecting democratic institutions and civil society, the Coordination Group will work tirelessly to ensure the new EU institutions take the necessary measures to regulate and prevent the abuse of spyware technologies in the EU. The coalition is confident that with strong, collective action, the European Union can become a global leader in safeguarding citizens from the dangers posed by surveillance tools.
Members of the Coordination Group
- Centre for Democracy and Technology Europe (CDT Europe)
- Access Now
- Amnesty International
- ARTICLE 19
- Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties)
- Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
- Data Rights
- Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
- Epicenter.works – for digital rights
- European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
- European Digital Rights (EDRi)
- European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
- Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF)
- Homo Digitalis
- Human Rights Watch (HRW)
- The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU)
- Panoptykon Foundation
- Privacy International (PI)
- Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa
- Wikimedia Europe