FinFisher, an easy-to-use surveillance tool sold exclusively to governments, is being used in more countries than ever before, according to a new Citizen Lab report.
The new research, co-authored and led by Information Controls Fellow Bill Marczak, identifies 32 countries where government entities are likely using the spyware to surveil targets – often journalists, human rights activists, and opposition political groups.
Countries identified as FinFisher clients include repressive environments such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Venezuela. A large number of IP addresses were suspected of belonging to FinFisher but were not traced to a specific country, meaning there are likely more countries using the spyware.
Coverage from AP, Motherboard, The Hill.