Amnesty International

In Germany, and globally, protest and dissent are facing growing repression. In 2021 it was revealed that governments use the spyware “Pegasus” to target journalists, activists, and opposition figures – even within the EU. Today, invasive surveillance continues to thrive, leading to a growing normalization of tools that can turn any smartphone into a 24/7 surveillance device. From spyware to facial recognition, targeted and mass surveillance increasingly invades daily life, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities and undermining democracy.

Under the title “Digital Surveillance: How States Are Spying on the Resistance”, Amnesty International and HAU Hebbel am Ufer bring together those on the frontlines: journalists, activists, technologists, policymakers and, crucially, individuals who’ve been targeted by spyware. In workshops, a digital security clinic and a panel, they explore concrete steps to reclaim democratic control over surveillance. As Germany debates new security laws and the EU prepares to implement the AI Act, we ask: Surveillance is becoming the rule – what must we do to stop it?

This event is a collaboration between HAU Hebbel am Ufer and the Security Lab at Amnesty International – a team of researchers, hackers, coders and advocates working to protect civil society from unlawful digital surveillance.

WORKSHOPS
With Amnesty International's Security Lab
15:30 / HAU3 / English

Tackling Unlawful Surveillance: Security Lab Investigations
15:30–17:30
With Donncha O'Cearbhaill, Rebecca White and Ruairi Nolan
Forensic analysis, support to victims, advocacy, and campaigning – this is how the Security Lab answers to the global surveillance crisis. In this hands-on session, dive into the Security Lab investigative work on Pegasus, Predator, Paragon, and Cellebrite exploits. Join us to see how traces of spyware are uncovered and how research turns into action as we advocate for an end to unlawful targeted surveillance.

Follow the Money: Inside a Cross-Border Investigation on Surveillance and Censorship Tech
18:00–19:00
With Jurre van Bergen, Sophia Baumann, Frederik Obermaier, Marla Rivera
Amnesty Tech and PaperTrail Media unveil their new investigation into the global trade of surveillance and censorship tools (official launch: beginning of September). Discover how these technologies cross borders and are deployed to suppress civic space—and meet the investigators behind the story.

Digital Security Clinic
Drop-in between 16:30 and 19:30
Need support with digital security? Join Amnesty International's Security Lab, Access Now, Tactical Tech and other organisations for access to informal consultations, resources, tools and support. High-risk individuals can access digital forensic analysis to check for spyware infections.

PANEL DISCUSSION
Digital Surveillance: How States Are Spying On the Resistance
with Sophie in ’t Veld, Donncha Ó Cearbhaill and David Yambio, Moderation: Yolanda Rother
20:00–22:00 / HAU1 / English
As Germany debates new security laws and the EU is considering simplifying its EU digital rulebook, we ask: Surveillance abuse is out of control – what must we do to stop it? Join Sophie In ’t Veld (Former MEP and Pegasus Inquiry Rapporteur), Donncha O'Cearbhaill (Security Lab), David Yambio (Refugees in Libya and victim of spyware) and Anja Osterhaus (Reporters Without Borders) for a conversation on resistance, regulation, and reclaiming our rights.

VIDEO INSTALLATION
HAU1
Brian Eno and Forensic Architecture, “Data Sonification” (audiovisual work, 2021, 20:37 mins.)
First detected in 2015, the malware Pegasus has infected the devices of journalists, lawyers, and activists in over 45 countries. Pegasus was developed by the Israeli cyber-weapons manufacturer NSO Group, a visible piece of Israel’s vast ecosystem of technology for the surveillance of Palestinians.
The wider project “Data Sonification” consists of a series of interviews with international human rights defenders who were surveilled by states and corporations using Pegasus, and an interactive 3D platform presenting thousands of open source datapoints. Supported by Amnesty International and the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, the platform reveals patterns of relations between incidents of surveillance and repression, and exposes the way in which digital infections are often entangled with real-world harm.
This film and accompanying soundscape are the product of Forensic Architecture’s collaboration with composer Brian Eno to translate the data from the database created to map the global spread of Pegasus infections into modulated sounds.

PARTICIPANTS
Sophie in ’t Veld is a former Member of the European Parliament (2004–2024). A long-standing advocate for privacy and surveillance oversight, she was Rapporteur for the EU Committee of Inquiry investigating Pegasus and other spyware.

Donncha Ó Cearbhaill is Head of Amnesty International’s Security Lab, leading investigations into digital threats against civil society. His work has been key in exposing the global use of spyware like Pegasus and Paragon against journalists, activists, and human rights defenders.

David Yambio is a human rights defender and co-founder of “Refugees in Libya,” where his advocacy helped free over 200 people. A survivor of child soldiering, enslavement, and incarceration, he was also targeted with spyware. He is currently a Global Fellow on International Crimes and Accountability at ECCHR.

Anja Osterhaus is the Executive Director of Reporters without Borders (RSF) Germany. She has lived and worked in Berlin, Brussels and Mexico City in different civil society organisations, fighting for global justice and human rights.

Yolanda Rother co-founded The Impact Company, serves on the board of Stiftung Zukunft Berlin, and speaks on digital society, politics and diversity.

Frederik Obermaier is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and co-founder of Paper Trail Media. He played a leading role in the Panama Papers and co-initiated the Bahamas Leaks, Paradise Papers, and Suisse Secrets investigations. He is also a member of the ICIJ and co-founder of the Anti-Corruption Data Collective.

Ruairi Nolan is Deputy Programme Director for Amnesty Tech. He has over two decades of experience in human rights and peacebuilding, including work in Burundi, Pakistan, CAR, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe.

Rebecca White is a researcher in Amnesty International’s Security Lab, which works to protect civil society from unlawful surveillance. She previously worked in communications at LSE’s Department for Gender Studies and as a migration campaigner in Amnesty’s Europe Regional Office.

Sophia Baumann is an investigative reporter and data journalist at Paper Trail Media, publishing with Der Spiegel and ZDF. She has worked on award-winning international projects including “Cyprus Confidential” and “Vulkan Files,” and was named one of “Top 30 journalists up to 30” in 2023.

Jurre van Bergen is a technologist at Amnesty International’s Security Lab. He researches the surveillance industry and provides forensic support to human rights defenders and civil society organisations.

Marla Rivera is a technologist and researcher specialising in surveillance and digital forensics. She directs InterSecLab and was an Amnesty International Digital Forensics Fellow in 2022.