Pakistan’s Surveillance Surge: 15 Global Companies, Including Israeli Firms, Provide Spy Technology
Pakistan is ramping up its surveillance game, now equipped to monitor and intercept a wide array of citizen communications, from phone calls to WhatsApp messages. Last month, Pakistani security agencies got the green light to step up their digital snooping efforts, including a completed firewall trial aimed at controlling social media platforms.
The country is tapping into a diverse array of surveillance technologies, acquiring spyware and tracking software from over 15 companies around the globe. Notable contributors to this surveillance infrastructure come from countries like the US, China, and even Israel.
Surveillance Watch, an organization dedicated to unveiling the hidden networks within the surveillance industry, provides an interactive map that tracks the global flow of these technologies. Founded by privacy advocates who have personally experienced the consequences of surveillance, the platform aims to illuminate the often opaque relationships between governments and the companies that profit from monitoring technologies. This growing international collaboration in surveillance raises critical questions about privacy, oversight, and the global trade in spy technology
