HBO Max has released Surveilled, the new documentary from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ronan Farrow. The film explores the alarming phenomenon of global surveillance targeting activists, dissidents and journalists. It focuses on how governments and private companies use surveillance technologies to repress dissent and silence those who challenge power.
Through meticulous research and personal testimonies, Surveilled reveals how individuals and social movements working for justice and human rights are subjected to invasive surveillance using spyware such as Pegasus that violates victims’ rights and undermines democracy.
This abusive practice serves the dual purpose of illegally gathering information and creating a sense of defencelessness among activists, resulting in a chilling effect on groups working for political and social change.
As part of the investigation, Farrow interviewed victims of #CatalanGate, a case that Sine Qua Non, along with other civil society organisations, brought to the attention of the United Nations. In a letter sent to Spain on 24 October 2022, the UN Special Rapporteurs expressed concern about the scope, planning and sophistication of the reported spying programme targeting Catalan leaders and activists who were not involved in violent activities. They stressed that the use of this type of spyware also increases self-censorship and has a chilling effect on the rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
The publication of Surveilled sheds light on this global abusive practice and emphasises the urgent need for the international community to work on accountability mechanisms and stricter regulation of surveillance technologies.
Know more
The Documentary
https://www.hbo.com/movies/surveilled
UN Special Rapporteurs on the use of spyware in Spain
November 2024