Defending human rights in third countries : EU export control on cyber surveillance equipment

Abstract

Government surveillance has gradually been brought under the public eye, with supporters claiming that it increases safety, and adversaries disparaging its breach of privacy and freedom of expression. As accessibility to knowledge and communication devices reaches a turning point, leaders across the globe cautiously reinforce schemes to restrain, suppress, and control their exploitation. Whilst oppression has been the main subject matter specifically on having the necessary understanding regarding tyrannical online regulations and how they inhibit autonomous attempts, online surveillance counterfeits a rising distress. This can be seen amongst radical democracies, where preliminary analysis insinuates that it could contravene one’s human rights. Research is very limited when it comes to countries that have a dismal human rights record, specifically because the government is not transparent and they are keeping information confidential. This research aims at gaining a better understanding of how the growth of mass surveillance determines the reverberations, to pinpoint the repercussions of the technologies concerning one’s human rights, and lastly, to reveal the harsh realities of how individuals are being controlled without their consent. Furthermore, qualitative analysis is the better approach for this dissertation since it allows the researcher to comprehend a broad array of phenomena. The method of thematic analysis, specifically the case study approach, was utilized to expose the reality that individuals face in third countries. China’s monitoring schemes are at the front line of these advancements. Across China, monitoring systems that are aimed at individuals in open spaces are connected to video analysis schemes, and instruments such as face recognition and the ability to identify someone based solely on their ethnic background are being implemented to carry out universal espionage. Besides China, Egypt and North Korea are progressively gaining accessibility to the means of private businesses to procure state-of-the-art devices to utilize for both mass and targeted surveillance. Transparency, digital authoritarianism, and political trust show how authoritative countries are employing surveillance technologies to spy on their citizens. From the first theme, one can say that the leaders have been feeding lies to their residents and have not been providing them with sufficient details therefore everyone has been kept in the dark and has no knowledge of their surroundings. Digital Authoritarianism has been an important concept to discuss. The three countries that were chosen are seen to be somewhat similar throughout these themes. Lastly, research has shown that whilst political trust has flourished in democratic countries, studies regarding this specific theme have been scarce.