[bestbits] Sign-on : Surveillance Mx case

[Niels ten Oever]

Dear colleagues,

Hope you are great. I am writing to share with you some relevant
information regarding targeted surveillance cases in México. On February
11, 2017 the New York Times published the story about three Mexican
health researchers and health activists that received messages with an
specific link that was directed to the NSO Pegasus spyware. Citizen Lab
confirmed the facts technically with information provided by R3D and
Social TIC, A19MX is supporting all their local initiatives. Tomorrow we
will participate in a press conference in order to demand that these
practices must not remain in impunity.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/11/technology/hack-mexico-soda-tax-advocates.html?_r=0


I am attaching a Civil Society statement (English & Spanish versions) to
kindly ask you to share it with your networks and gather international
organisations/groups/individual´s signatures. We want to raise
international concerns about Mexican surveillance practices. Due date to
sign is Monday 13 at 18 hrs México City time. Thank you very much for
your help!

If you want to sign-on, or in case you have any questions, please do not
hesitate to contact Paulina (cc).

All the best,

Niels

-- 
Niels ten Oever
Head of Digital

Article 19
www.article19.org

PGP fingerprint    2458 0B70 5C4A FD8A 9488
                   643A 0ED8 3F3A 468A C8B3

ORGANIZACIONES DE LA SOCIEDAD CIVIL RECHAZAMOS ESPIONAJE GUBERNAMENTAL A
DEFENSORES DEL DERECHO A LA SALUD EN MÉXICO

El pasado 11 de julio, una investigación del Citizen Lab de la Escuela
Munk sobre Asuntos Globales de la Universidad de Toronto y el New York
Times revelaron evidencia de que el Dr. Simón Barquera, investigador del
Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública de México; Alejandro Calvillo,
Director de El Poder del Consumidor; y Luis Manuel Encarnación,
Coordinador de la Coalición ContraPESO han sido objeto de ataques con la
intención de infectar sus teléfonos móviles con malware de vigilancia
comercializado exclusivamente a gobiernos por la empresa NSO Group.

Según la evidencia presentada, los ataques se relacionan con la
actividad de defensa del derecho a la salud, en particular la promoción
de impuesto a las bebidas azucaradas y las críticas a las deficientes
normas de etiquetado de alimentos en México, que han llevado a cabo las
tres personas atacadas.

Ante estas revelaciones, las organizaciones de la sociedad civil,
nacionales e internacionales firmantes:

1. Manifestamos nuestro enérgico rechazo a la vigilancia ilegal revelada
y expresamos nuestra solidaridad y acompañamiento a las instituciones
académicas y organizaciones de la sociedad civil que han sido objeto de
estos ataques.

2. Expresamos nuestra preocupación por la utilización gubernamental de
programas informáticos altamente intrusivos como el malware “Pegasus”
comercializado por NSO Group, particularmente en contra de académicos y
organizaciones de la sociedad civil. Este tipo de malware de vigilancia,
que explota vulnerabilidades de seguridad inéditas (zero-day
vulnerabilities) en software y productos comerciales para adquirir
control absoluto de un dispositivo, compromete el derecho a la
privacidad de manera severa, especialmente cuando no existen controles
legales y supervisión democrática de las facultades de vigilancia estatal.

3. Exigimos al gobierno de México que cese el hostigamiento y la
vigilancia en contra de académicos y de organizaciones de la sociedad
civil y llamamos a las autoridades a emprender de manera urgente una
investigación exhaustiva, seria e imparcial que permita identificar y
sancionar a los funcionarios públicos y actores privados responsables de
la vigilancia ilegal en México.

4. Llamamos a los organismos internacionales, a los gobiernos del mundo
y a la comunidad internacional, a investigar las actividades comerciales
de la empresa NSO Group y de otras empresas que comercializan
herramientas de espionaje en México y a adoptar medidas para evitar que
dichas herramientas sean adquiridas por el gobierno mexicano.
 	 	
5. Externamos nuestra especial preocupación ante este nuevo acto de
hostigamiento en contra de académicos y defensores del derecho a la
salud que afectan los intereses de la industria refresquera y de
alimentos. Llamamos a la industria a que aclare su involucramiento o
conocimiento de estos actos de espionaje y que rechace públicamente
cualquier acto de intimidación en contra de defensores de derechos humanos.



Firmantes



CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS REJECT GOVERNMENT’S SURVEILLANCE OF HUMAN
RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN MEXICO

On July 11, an investigation by the Citizen Lab at the University of
Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs  and the New York Times revealed
evidence that Dr. Simon Barquera, researcher at Mexico’s Public Health
National Institute, Alejandro Calvillo, Director at El Poder del
Consumidor and Luis Manuel Encarnación, Coordinator of ContraPESO
Coalition received targeted attacks with the objective of infecting
their mobile devices with surveillance malware exclusively sold to
governments by the company NSO Group.

According to the evidence, the attacks are related to the target’s
activities in defense of public health, particularly advocating for a
soda-tax and criticizing deficient food labeling regulation.

In the light of these revelations, the signatory national and
international civil society organizations:

1. Express our rejection of the illegal surveillance revealed and show
our solidarity and stand with the academic institutions and civil
society organizations targeted with these attacks.

2. Express our concern about the Mexican government’s use of highly
intrusive software such as the Pegasus malware commercialized by the NSO
Group, particularly against researchers and civil society organizations.
This type of surveillance malware that exploits unknown security
vulnerabilities (zero-day) in commercial software and products to obtain
an absolute control of a device, severely compromises the right to
privacy, especially when there is no legal controls or democratic
oversight of state surveillance.

3. Demand the government of Mexico to stop the threats and surveillance
against researchers and civil society organizations and call for an
immediate investigation that allows to identify and punish the public
officials and private actors responsible of illegal surveillance in Mexico.

4. Call international organizations, governments around the world and
the international community as a whole, to investigate the commercial
activities of the NSO Group and other companies that sell surveillance
tools to Mexico and to adopt measures to prevent these tools from being
acquired by the Mexican government.

5. Express our special concern regarding this new instance of harassment
against researchers and health activists that affect the interests of
the food and beverage industries. We call the industry to clarify its
involvement or knowledge of the revealed surveillance and to publicly
reject any act of intimidation against human rights defenders.


Signatories








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