Hello all,

We wanted to share some great news with you.

In November 2012 Privacy International had submitted a dossier of evidence to HMRC that suggested that Gamma International had illegally exported surveillance technology to governments with records of human rights abuse, such as Bahrain, Ethiopia, Egypt and Turkmenistan. This included both technical evidence as well as evidence from activists whose computers were targeted with FinFisher. 

In a judgement made public today, the UK High Court declared that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) acted unlawfully and “irrationally” in issuing blanket refusals into the status of any investigation into the potentially illegal export of the spyware FinFisher to repressive regimes by UK-based Gamma International. The judgement states that the public is entitled to know what HMRC is doing to investigate and if appropriate prosecute companies that are sending dangerous surveillance technologies to countries where it is likely to be used for human rights abuses.

An important part of the judgement has also been the recognition of NGOs as “act as guardians of the public conscience” and thus as having a significant role in ensuring transparency and enforcing legal rights in court.

To find out more, please refer to:
- PI Press Release, High Court slams HMRC for unlawful concealing of information surrounding export of spyware FinFisher, 12 May 2014
- Approved Judgment: R (on the application of PI) v HMRC, 12 May 2014

It would be great if you could share the news with your networks and also Tweet about it! Thanks!

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with Mike (mike@privacyinternational.org) 

Best,

Alexandrine