US Issues Human Rights Guidelines for Surveillance Tech Exporters

The U.S. State Department has issued new guidelines for American companies which export surveillance capabilities in order to prevent their products or services from "being misused by government end-users to commit human rights abuses,” TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"Too often, surveillance technologies and products are misused by foreign governments to stifle dissent, harass human rights defenders, intimidate minority communities, discourage whistleblowers, chill free expression, target political opponents, journalists, and lawyers, or interfere arbitrarily or unlawfully with privacy," Scott Busby, State Department's acting principal deputy assistant secretary from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, told reporters via teleconference.

According to him, "there is a vast difference between the use of such applications to gather data that can be used to exert social, economic, or political control, and the use of such data to enhance the lives and security of people. Only by working in partnership with U.S. businesses can those of us on the side of promoting high standards and values safeguard against such misuse."

The newly-issued U.S. guideline is available on state.gov for any business to refer to and use. It is a first-of-its-kind tool intended to provide practical, usable, and accessible human rights guidance.

Asked by TURAN's correspondent whether Washington will make any distinction between the U.S.-based independent companies and the U.S. Government-backed efforts when selling surveillance tech to countries such as Saudi Arabia or Azerbaijan, Busby said, "human rights obligations of course only apply to governments, but we encourage businesses to respect human rights. That is one of the mandates in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights."

"These guidelines are based on universal human rights standards that apply to businesses that may be selling products to other governments as well as to U.S. Government action" he added.

China is one country that has taken a very restrictive approach to the internet and is using surveillance technology widely in violation of international human rights standards, according to the State Department. "But there are many other governments around the world that are doing the same: Iran obviously, Venezuela, several countries in Africa. So this is a global problem that we’re seeking to address with this guidance," he said.

When asked about Washington's leverage to go after "third parties" that are selling U.S. technologies abroad, Busby said, the guidance is directed at businesses engaged in transactions with other governments, "but we recognize that there are often third parties who are assisting governments in obtaining this technology, and we would encourage businesses to evaluate, to assess the relationship of such third parties to governments that are engaging in restrictive practices,"

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.