A growing threat haunts journalists and political activists worldwide: spyware, a new form of electronic surveillance that presents considerable challenges to freedom of the press. Various actors, including private companies, have developed sophisticated malware to infiltrate personal computers and smartphones, avoiding detection. Governments and other actors worldwide, especially in Latin America, are deploying these tools to spy on rivals and critics, including politicians, activists, and journalists who are largely defenseless against this surveillance. The illegal surveillance of journalists exposes them to blackmail, puts their sources at risk, and discourages investigative reporting, including investigations into public corruption.
Please join us on Thursday, September 7, 2023 from 9:30 am to 11 am (ET) for a public dialogue on the urgent threat of private and state-sponsored surveillance and defending the freedom of the press. The dialogue will be cohosted by the Wilson Center’s Latin America Program and IREX under the Civil Society and Media – Strengthened Together and in Advancing in New Directions initiative, together with the Wilson Center’s partners: Luminate, the International Republican Institute, and the Center for Media Integrity.
