The role of Germany in addressing the commercial spyware proliferation

While states like the US, France, and the UK, have been stepping in as major players in addressing the global proliferation of commercial spyware, Germany has been surprisingly absent from these efforts. However, seven months since Access Now and Citizen Lab’s bombshell revelation that the head of the prominent Russian independent media Meduza was hacked with Pegasus in Berlin, Germany has finally joined the US-led Joint Statement on Efforts to Counter the Proliferation and Misuse of Commercial Spyware at the Summit for Democracy in Seoul, South Korea. This move provides Germany a key opportunity to lead and influence the regulatory framework on commercial spyware that poses a threat both to human rights and national security of Germany and its allies. But is Germany finally serious about addressing the commercial spyware proliferation problem?  Access Now’s Senior Tech Legal Counsel, the Citizen Lab’s Senior Legal Advisor, and a representative from the Cyberstaff at the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs will discuss and invite the audience to participate in the conversation.