State Digital Surveillance Risk Landscape
Brief
Executive Summary
Insikt Group assesses that government digital surveillance activities pose a high or very high risk in 31 countries, where state actors exploit telecommunications infrastructure, homegrown and commercial spyware, and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools to monitor foreign nationals and business travelers with little to no legal accountability.
A further 55 countries categorized as medium risk frequently deploy less-sophisticated surveillance capabilities to target political opposition and dissent –– highlighting the need for organizations to adopt appropriate mitigation measures in jurisdictions with limited oversight mechanisms and track records of surveillance targeting foreign entities or supporting domestic repression.