"Criminal complaint against illegal export of surveillance software is making an impact", 28 March 2022

Following a criminal complaint filed by the Society for Civil Rights (Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte e.V.), Reporters without Borders (RSF), the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and netzpolitik.org over illegal exports of surveillance software, the Munich-based corporate group FinFisher has ceased its business operations. The Public Prosecutor's Office Munich announced that it had seized the company's accounts, after which FinFisher GmbH and two partner companies filed for insolvency...

FinFisher GmbH and its partner companies produced and distributed the FinSpy "state Trojan" software worldwide. Using this spyware, police and secret services can pinpoint a person's location, record their telephone conversations and chats and read all their mobile phone and computer data...

The export of such surveillance software to countries outside the EU has been subject to prior authorisation throughout Europe since 2015, with violations being punishable by law. The German government has not issued any export licences for surveillance software since 2015. Nevertheless, current versions of the FinSpy surveillance software keep turning up in countries with repressive regimes, including Turkey, Egypt and Myanmar. A broad alliance of human rights and press freedom organisations has been campaigning for years for a moratorium on the sale, transfer and use of surveillance technology. It wants the moratorium to apply until an appropriate legal framework that is valid worldwide has been created...

In 2020, the Public Prosecutor's Office Munich had already ordered a raid of the companies' business premises and several private residences. With the seizure of the companies' bank accounts, the Public Prosecutor's Office now wanted to ensure that the illegally obtained profits could be confiscated after a conviction. This undertaking failed because the companies in question filed for insolvency shortly after. Netzpolitik.org reported in detail on these developments this morning.