Article
New Technologies for Profiling and Surveillance: A Threat to Freedom of Expression in Latin America
Youth Multimedia Room
The article was produced by the Youth Multimedia Room. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the contributors of the Youth Multimedia Room and do not represent the views of UNESCO or its partners. The designations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO or its partners.
The World Press Freedom Day 2024 conference hosted over 40 side events addressing freedom of expression and safety of journalists. One of the conversations, organized by , focused on profiling and surveillance of journalists who, as the gatekeepers of freedom of expression, meet with untold resistance in the line of duty especially from those who should be their chief guarantors - the State.
The use of spyware technology to surveil journalists’ activities is a great breach of freedom of expression. Latin America is under intense international scrutiny for showing that have affected democracy and press freedom.
The panelists shared experiences about the current media atmosphere in the countries where they operate, showing a grim picture of media facing subtle attacks. Mauricio Weibel from Chile is the president of Sociedad de Corresponsales en Latinoamérica y el Caribe (). He recounted being under surveillance with his telephone conversations being monitored. An anonymous source informed him that he was indeed targeted for being a journalist.
In Colombia, Angela Caro, the Legal Coordinator of Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (), spoke about the that was carried out by the military using public information. The local legal system was used as the currency upon which the military undertook the exercise. Using public information that is already public is not a violation to the law. Access to justice was therefore denied to journalists and other human rights defenders on this basis by the public prosecutor’s office, who could not take up the case.
has had to fight even bigger battles with the Pegasus spyware, with cases involving the army. have also employed the use of intrusive spying software to persecute their enemies, including journalists and political nemeses. This was especially exacerbated during the reign of former president Jair Bolsonaro whose government to spy on political rivals and critics.
According to , at least 180 journalists have been surveilled by Pegasus until 2021.
But journalists in Latin America continue to fight against repressive conditions that suppress their right to inform the public. With the support of media defenders worldwide, their pursuit of justice remains undeterred for their own benefit and that of those whom they serve. Journalists in Colombia are pushing for legal reformation in order to set the bar in the region. By partnering with media lawyers, they seek to have a revision of their local intelligence and counterintelligence law. from the El Salvador based media outlet El Faro are pursuing a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court against the NSO Group, the Israeli company that manufactures Pegasus spyware. They aim to establish the identity of the customer who used Pegasus to spy on them. They also aim to have the company reveal what information was collected and how it was used.
continue to face intimidation and harassment by those in power. It is therefore fundamental that media defenders and journalists themselves continue to resist attacks against freedom of expression. A free press is a necessity, not a privilege.
Sylvia Adongo
