This week, the European Union agreed to tighten export rules for surveillance tech and spyware. The new rules aim to prevent regimes that abuse human rights from getting hold of the equipment.
Recently, Amnesty International found that companies based in France, Sweden, and the Netherlands has sold surveillance systems to the communist regime ruling China. They issued a report about the dangers of this practice.
Amnesty International Senior Policy Officer Merel Koning said: “For the past one and a half years, Amnesty International conducted research into export from EU companies to China, and we came to shocking conclusions that the export of biometric surveillance software is being exported.”
She says the new EU rules aren’t enough to ensure that human rights are safeguarded.
Another policy adviser says there are fundamental problems with the new rules. This is despite EU lawmakers claiming a win for human rights.
