HRW: EU Fails to Curb Surveillance Exports to Rights Violators

TL;DR
HRW’s 54-page report 'Looking the Other Way: EU Failure to Prevent Surveillance Exports to Rights Violators' finds the EU and member states are failing to stop exporting intrusive surveillance tech to governments with documented rights abuses, despite the 2021 Dual-Use Regulation. It criticizes the EU’s implementation and the 2024 guidelines for reducing transparency, and urges tighter due diligence, stronger reporting, and meaningful civil-society participation. The report notes exports such as Bulgaria to Azerbaijan (2022) and Poland to Rwanda (2023) and calls for EU-wide action ahead of the 2026 evaluation.
Topics:worldtechnology-and-rights#due-diligence#eu-export-controls#human-rights#surveillance-technology#technology-and-rights#transparency
- European Union: Surveillance Technology Sold to Rights Violators Human Rights Watch
- Europe Exports Spyware to Human Rights Abusers, Watchdog Says Bloomberg.com
- Looking the Other Way Human Rights Watch
- European countries are exporting surveillance tech to countries with poor human rights records, report says The Record from Recorded Future News
- Bulgaria, Poland Among EU States Accused of Selling Spy Tech to Autocracies Balkan Insight
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